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Treatise  on  prayer 


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TREATISE    ON   PRAYER; 


DESIGNED  TO  ASSIST  IN  THE 

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DEVOUT  DISCHARGE  OF  THAT  DUTY, 


REV.  EDWARD  BICKERSTETH, 

ASSISTANT  MINISTER   OF  WHELER   CHAPEL. 


T%y  prayers  and  thine  a/nw  have  come  up  for  a  memorial  before  OotL 

Acta  z.  4 


NEW  YORK: 

ROBERT  CARTER,  53  CANAL  STREET 

PITTSBURG  :— THOMAS  CARTER. 


1S44. 


PREFACE, 


The  acceptance  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  give  to  the 
"  Scripture  Help,^''  and  the  testimonies  which  the  writer 
has  received  of  benefit  derived  from  that  work,  have  in- 
duced him  to  endeavor  to  call  the  attention  of  Christians, 
and  particularly  the  young,  (for  whom  he  wishes  to  be  con- 
sidered as  especially  writing)  to  another  most  important 
means  of  grace. 

It  seemed  also  peculiarly  needful  to  press  the  duty  of 
prayer  now ;  for  it  appears  to  the  writer  to  be  one  of  the 
dangers  of  the  present  reviving  state  of  the  Church,  that 
men  gain  knowledge  without  corresponding  feelings ;  they 
are  tempted  to  make  a  profession  of  religion,  and  talk  about 
it,  while,  it  is  to  be  feared,  the  more  retired  and  all-im- 
portant duties  of  devout  prayer,  meditation,  self-examina- 
tion, and  reading  the  Scriptures,  are  neglected. 

He  has  felt  a  personal  advantage  in  his  former  Treatise, 
from  its  imposing  on  him  an  additional  obligation  to  the 
study  of  the  Word  of  God.  He  hopes  for  a  sunilar  benefit 
in  the  present  publication. 

His  various  public  engagements  have  indeed  left  him  lit- 
tle leisure  for  a  work  of  such  importance ;  but  it  appeared 
to  him  better  to  do  good,  even  though  it  be  done  in  an  im- 
perfect manner,  than  not  to  do  it  at  all. 

In  a  treatise  on  that  which  has  so  often  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  Christian  writers,  new  sentiments  can  neither 
be  desired  nor  expected.  The  direction — "  ask  for  the  old 
paths,  where  is  the  good  way,  and  walk  therein,  and  you 
shall  find  rest  for  your  souls,"  is  well  applicable  here.  The 
writer  willingly  availed  himself  of  the  ideas  suggested  by 
any  former  author. 

He  would,  however,  observe,  that  it  is  not  the  knowledge 
of  the  duty,  but  the  grace  of  prayer  which  is  the  great 
thing  that  we  should  desire  to  attain.     He  has  often  had 


IV  PREFACE. 

occasion,  in  the  course  of  his  writing  this  book,  to  feel  that 
it  is  much  easier  to  know  how  to  pray,  than  really  to  pray. 
The  grace  of  prayer  is  a  divine  gift  of  far  more  importance 
than  the  mere  knowledge  of  all  parts  of  this  duty,  or  the 
ability  to  perform  it  before  man. 

If  some  are  disposed  to  think,  that  he  has  in  any  instance 
set  the  standard  of  devotion  too  high,  he  would  say,  that  he 
has  endeavored  to  follow  the  Scriptures;  and  though  he 
feels  that  this  necessarily  often  condemns  both  himself  and 
Christians  in  general,  it  appeared  his  duty  not  to  lower  the 
standard  on  that  account,  but  rather  to  explain  it,  and  press 
it  the  more,  that  the  perfection  of  the  rule  might  lead  him- 
self and  his  readers  more  simply  to  the  Savior  for  pardon, 
peace,  and  strength.  Some  may,  indeed,  on  the  other  hand, 
think,  that  by  not  setting  the  standard  high  enough,  he  has 
often  proved  his  own  want  of  devotional  feeling.  He  is 
ready  here  to  submit  to  those  of  more  experience  in  the 
Christian  life. 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  have  enlarged  many  parts ; 
but  the  object  was  to  bring  forward  only  the  most  obvious 
and  useful  observations  that  occurred. 

Though  prayer  is  that  duty  which  especially  declares 
the  guilt  and  weakness  of  man,  and  the  grace  and  power 
of  God ;  yet  there  is  danger  in  pressing  any  positive  duty, 
and  particularly  that  of  prayer,  lest  we  should  in  any 
measure  foster  and  encourage  that  self-righteousness  which 
is  so  natural  to  the  human  mind.  The  writer  has  endeav- 
ored to  guard  against  this  evil.  Without  prayer,  indeed, 
no  man  possesses  spiritual  life ;  yet  we  are  not  saved  by  our 
prayers ;  the  ability  to  pray  is  rather  a  part  of  that  salva- 
tion which  Jesus  Christ  has  obtained  for  us. 

It  may  be  thought  by  some,  that  parts  of  this  work  are 
little  more  than  a  collection  or  bringing  together  of  texts 
of  Scripture.  This  will  not,  it  is  presumed,  be  an  objection 
to  the  majority  of  his  readers ;  and  it  may  be  said,  if  it  need 
an  excuse,  that  the  author  felt,  that  when  he  could  quote 


PREFACE.  V 

a  passage  of  Scripture  in  support  of  any  sentiment,  he  then 
knew  that  he  was  on  secure  ground.  The  Scriptures  are 
also  very  full  on  this  subject ;  so  that  an  arrangement  of 
those  passages  which  relate  only  to  prayer,  would  form  no 
inconsiderable  volume. 

The  congregation  attending  in  the  afternoon  at  Wheler 
Chapel,  Spital  JFields,  will  remember  the  leading  outline 
of  a  considerable  part  of  the  following  Treatise,  as  coming 
in  the  course  of  sermons  which  the  author  preached  to 
them  on  the  subject  of  prayer.  He  now  affectionately  sub- 
mits to  their  attention,  in  a  more  enlarged  state  from  the 
press,  those  motives  and  directions  for  this  duty  which  he 
delivered  to  them  from  the  pulpit. 

The  author  ventures  to  suggest  to  heads  of  families,  tliat 
parts  of  this  work  might  furnish  suitable  reading  for  family 
instruction  on  Sundays. 

If  the  reader  should  obtain  any  benefit  from  this  work, 
and  be  excited  to  pray  more  constantly  and  devoutly,  the 
writer  would  earnestly  ask  an  interest  in  those  prayers, 
that  he  himself  may  live  in  the  practice  of  that  duty  which 
he  has  been  endeavoring  to  teach  others.  May  every 
reader  also  join  him  in  entreating  the  Author  and  Giver  of 
every  good  gift,  to  grant  his  blessing  to  this  attempt  to 
induce  others  to  pray  more  continually  and  more  fervently ; 
to  aim  at  living  in  abiding  commimion  with  the  Father  of 
Spirits. 

Salisbury  Square,  Nov.  l&th,  1819. 


ADVERTISEMENT   TO  THE  TENTH  EDITION. 

In  preparing  this  Edition  for  the  press,  the  Author  has 
endeavored  to  avail  himself  of  some  valuable  hints  given 
in  a  recent  review  of  this  work,  and  has  introduced  some 
additions  there  suggested. 

Islington,  Oct.  7,  1825. 

A2 


CONTENTS. 


cnAP. 

1.  The  Nature  and  Duty  of  Prayer 9 

2.  The  Privilege  of  Prayer 16 

3.  The  Assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit 29 

4.  The  Intercession  of  Jesus  Christ 39 

5.  Private  Prayer 46 

6.  Public  Worship 98 

7.  Family  Worship 117 

8.  Social  Prayer 132 

9.  The  General  Habit  of  Prayer 136 

10.  The  Spirit  of  Prayer  for  the  Enlargement  of  the  King- 

dom  of  Christ 142 

11.  Distractions  in  Prayer 149 

12.  On  Devotional  Feelings  merely 156 

13.  Directions  to  assist  in  attaining  the  Spirit  of  Prayer. .   159 

14.  An  Exliortation  to  constant  Prayer 183 

15.  Forms  of  Prayer 193 

A  Prayer  for  the  Gift  and  Grace  of  Prayer ib. 

Private  Morning  Prayer 195 

Another  Private  Morning  Prayer 197 

Private  Prayer  at  Noon 199 

Intercessory  Praver  at  Noon 200 

Private  Evening"  Prayer 202 

Another  Private  Evening  Prayer 204 

Prayer  before  the  Lord's  Supper 206 

Prayer  after  the  Lord's  Supper 208 

Morning  Family  Prayer 209 

Another  Morning  Family  Prayer 212 

Evening  Family  Prayer 214 

Another  Evening  Family  Prayer 216 

Sunday  Morning  Family  Prayer 218 

Sunday  Evening  Family  Prayer 220 

Prayer  for  a  Sunday  School 221 

Prayer  for  a  Benevolent  Society 222 

A  Social  Prayer 223 

Prayer  for  the  Enlargement  of  the  Kingdom  of 

Christ 225 

Another  on  the  same  subject 228 

Ejaculatory  Prayers  from  the  Scriptures 231 


A 

TREATISE  ON  PRAYER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ON  THE  NATURE  AND  THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER. 

Men  in  general  think  it  an  honor  to  be  admitted  into 
the  company  of  those  who  are  distinguished  by  their  rank, 
their  power,  or  their  attainments.  They  feel  it  a  privilege 
to  converse  with  a  man  of  the  first  consequence  in  the 
state,  a  man  eminent  in  wisdom  or  knowledge,  or  the 
monarch  of  a  mighty  empire.  A  Christian  justly  reckons 
it  no  small  privilege  to  be  permitted  for  a  season,  to  asso-- 
ciate  with  a  person  of  peculiar  piety.  And  if,  while  the 
greatest  good  may  be  obtained  from  a  distinguished  per- 
son, there  be  only  a  limited  time  in  which  we  can  go  to 
him,  the  importance  of  using  an  opportunity  that  is  offered, 
is  evidently  greatly  increased.  If  we  can  say  "  now  the 
way  of  access  is  open,  but  it  will  soon  be  closed ;  now  you 
may  hold  converse,  and  get  intimately  acquainted  with 
him ;  you  may  obtain  all  you  want ;  you  may  secure  a  last- 
ing interest  in  his  affections ;  he  has  invited  you  to  come 
to  him,  and  you  will  never  have  this  privilege  offered 
again :  surely,  no  other  argument  need  be  urged,  to  induce 
a  man  wanting  his  help  to  go  to  him,  without  delay." 

When  the  Lord  of  Glory  dwelt  on  earth,  we  often  read 
of  the  great  multitudes  who  assembled  together  and  crowd- 
ed around  him,  to  see  and  to  hear  him.  On  one  occasion, 
we  find  even  a  rich  man,  Zaccheus,  unable  to  approach 
him,  and  climbing  a  tree  to  have  a  transient  glimpse  at  so 
remarkable  a  character.  Had  we  lived  at  that  time,  and 
possessed  any  thing  of  our  present  knowledge,  we  should 
doubtless  have  thought  it  a  high  honor  to  be  in  his  compa- 
ny, and,  like  Mary,  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  hear  his 
words. 

This  privilege  w^as  counted  the  m.ore  valuable  in  seasons 
of  dilnculty.     When  any  were  in  sickness,  or  danger,  and 


10  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

believed  that  if  they  could  see  our  Lord  he  would  help 
them,  they  then  desired  his  presence  with  peculiar  earn- 
estness. When  Lazarus  is  dying,  then  his  sisters  send  a 
special  messag-e  to  their  Lord.  When  the  disciples  are  in 
the  storm,  they  awaken  him,  saying,  "  Carest  thou  not  that 
we  perish  1"  When  the  people  are  sick,  they  break  through 
the  roof  of  a  dwelling  to  come  to  him ;  or  press  through  the 
crowd  to  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment. 

It  is  the  nature  of  prayer,  that  it  gives  to  needy  and  sin- 
ful men,  in  the  limited  time  of  this  life,  every  day,  yes, 
every  hour,  this  great  privilege  of  access  to  the  King  of 
Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords,  to  the  Most  High  and  the  Most 
Holy,  and  this  with  the  utmost  freedom  and  confidence ; 
the  access  not  merely  of  a  servant  to  a  master ;  or  a  subject 
to  a  king :  but  of  a  child  to  a  tender  parent. 

Prayer  is,  then,  a  holy  intercourse  with  God. — "  It  is," 
as  the  martyr  Bradford  expresses  it,  "  a  simple,  unfeigned, 
humble,  and  ardent  oifering  of  the  heart  before  God, 
wherein  we  either  ask  things  needful,  or  give  thanks  for 
benefits  received."  Acceptable  prayer  is  the  desire  of  the 
heart  offered  up  to  God  through  the  influence  of  his  Spirit, 
in  the  name  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  for  things  according  to 
his  will,  and  in  confidence  that  he  hears  us,  and  will  an- 
swer us.  There  is  no  prayer  without  the  exercise  of  holy 
and  suitable  dispositions  and  affections.  "  The  true  wor- 
shippers," says  our  Lord,  "  shall  worship  the  Father  in 
spirit  and  in  truth,  for  the  Father  seeketli  such  to  worship 
him."* 

Prayer  is  not  the  mere  posture  of  the  body. — A  man 
may  kneel  till  he  wear  out  the  stones ;  like  the  Mahom- 
edans,  he  may  put  himself  into  every  variety  of  posture, 
throw  himself  on  the  earth  and  lie  in  the  dust ;  like  Ahab, 
ne  may  put  on  sackclotli  and  ashes ;  or,  like  the  monks  of 
modern  times,  kneel  till  his  knees  become  horny,  and  yet 
never  pray  at  all. 

It  is  not  the  mere  expression  of  the  mouth. — A  man 
may  repeat  a  hundred  times  in  a  day  that  comprehensive 
and  affecting  prayer  which  our  Lord  has  taught  us  to  use ; 
or  he  may  say,  "  My  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  long- 
eth  afl;er  thee,"  and  yet  not  offer  up  one  prayer  unto  God, 

It  is  not  the  mere  invention  of  the  mind. — Many  have  a 

*  John,  iv.  23. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  11 

peculiar  gift  of  prayer  in  this  respect,  and  can  pour  out 
fluently,  perspicuously,  and  at  length,  a  form  of  words ;  but, 
both  the  mind  and  the  tongue  may  be  thus  employed,  while 
the  heart  neither  feels  the  sentunents  expressed,  nor  longs 
for  the  blessings  implored. 

Nor  is  the  mere  act  of  joming  in  family,  social,  or  public 
worship,  acceptable  prayer.  Uniting  with  others,  in  the 
most  earnest  petitions,  where  your  own  heart  is  unmoved, 
will  avail  you  nothing.  « 

All  these  things  may  be  as  the  mere  husk  and  shell 
without  the  kernel ;  the  body  without  the  spirit.  God  ex- 
pects the  desire  of  the  heart.  Your  devotions  should  be  a 
sacred  bond  knitting  the  soul  unto  God,  a  holy  converse 
with  him. 

Dr.  Watts  thus  expresses  himself  on  this  subject: — 
"  When  a  holy  soul  comes  before  God,  he  has  much  more 
to  say  than  merely  to  beg.  He  tells  his  God  what  a  sense 
he  has  of  the  divine  attributes ;  and  what  high  esteem  he 
pays  to  his  majesty,  his  wisdom,  his  power,  and  his  mercy. 
He  talks  with  him  about  the  works  of  creation,  and  stands 
wrapt  up  in  wonder.  He  talks  about  the  grace  and  mys- 
tery of  redemption,  and  is  yet  more  filled  with  admiration 
and  joy.  He  talks  of  all  the  affairs  of  nature,  grace,  and 
glory.  He  speaks  of  his  works  of  providence,  of  love,  and 
vengeance,  in  this  and  the  future  world.  Infinite  and  glo- 
rious are  the  subjects  of  this  holy  communion  between  God 
and  his  saints." 

Mrs.  More  observes,  "  Prayer  is  a  term  of  great  latitude, 
involvmg  the  whole  compass  of  our  intercourse  with  God. 
St  Paul  represents  it  to  include  our  adoration  of  his  per- 
fections ;  our  acknowledgment  of  the  wisdom  of  his  dispen- 
sations, and  of  our  obligations  for  his  benefits,  providential 
and  spiritual ;  the  avowal  of  our  entire  dependence  on  him, 
and  of  our  absolute  subjection  to  him ;  the  declaration  of 
our  faith  in  him ;  the  expression  of  our  devotedness  to  him ; 
the  confession  of  our  own  unworthiness,  infirmities  and 
sins ;  the  petition  for  the  supply  of  our  wants,  and  for  the 
pardon  of  our  offences,  for  succor  in  our  distress,  for  a 
blessing  on  oilr  undertakings,  for  the  direction  of  our  con- 
duct, and  the  success  of  our  affairs."* 

"  Prayer,"  says  the  same  writer,  "  is  the  application  of 

*  See  Essay  on  St.  Paul,  vol.  ii.  p.  227 


12  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

want  to  Him  who  only  can  relieve  it ;  the  voice  of  sin  to 
him  who  only  can  pardon  it.  It  is  the  urgency  of  poverty, 
the  prostration  of  humility,  the  fervency  of  penitence,  the 
confidence  of  truth.  It  is  not  eloquence,  but  earnestness ; 
not  tlie  definition  of  helplessness,  but  the  feeling-  of  it ;  not 
figures  of  speech,  but  compunction  of  soul.  It  is  the  '  Lord 
save  us,  we  perish,'  of  drowning  Peter ;  the  cry  of  faith  to 
tlie  ear  of  mercy."* 

This  i^ acceptable  prayer.  But  how  often  are  our  devo- 
tions a  mere  form  to  satisfy  our  conscience  !  We  know  it 
is  our  duty  to  pray ;  we  know  that  none  go  to  heaven  but 
men  of  prayer ;  we  have  been  taught  to  pray  in  our  youth, 
and  therefore  we  go  through  the  outward  form ;  but  is  it 
not  too  often  without  the  inward  motion  and  desire  of  the 
heart  towards  God  ]  Let  us  remember,  that  the  mere  form 
is  not  only  unprofitable  to  the  soul,  but  brings  guilt  upon 
it;  and  when  trusted  in,  is  a  dangerous  delusion.  It  may 
gam  us  a  religious  name  in  the  world ;  it  may  pacify  an 
alarmed  conscience  for  the  moment;  but  it  gains  nothing 
fi-om  God.  Our  Lord  says,  "  This  people  draweth  nigh 
unto  me  with  their  mouth,  and  honoreth  me  with  their 
lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from  me ;"  and  what  follows  1 — 
"  in  vain  do  they  worship  me."f 

From  this  description  of  the  nature  of  prayer,  it  must  be 
obvious,  that  with  the  gift  of  "  the  spirit  of  grace  and  sup- 
plications," two  things  are  essentially  necessary  to  enable 
us  really  to  pray. 

1.  The  knowledge  of  our  wants. — As  the  needy  only 
will  stoop  to  ask  for  alms,  so  a  real,  deep,  and  abiding 
sense  of  our  indigence,  is  the  first  spring  of  a  true  and 
earnest  desire  to  obtain  help  from  God.  The  prodigal  son 
thought  not  of  returning  to  his  father,  till  reduced  to 
wretchedness  and  misery.  When  David  says,  "  I  am  poor 
and  needy,"  he  then  earnestly  prays,  "  Make  haste  unto 
me,  O  God,  thou  art  my  help  and  my  deliverer."|:  While 
we  thmk  we  can  help  ourselves,  and  get  through  our  diffi- 
culties by  our  own  means,  we  are  little  disposed  to  pray  to 
God.  The  Laodicean  church  could  not  be  much  in  the 
spirit  of  real  prayer,  however  it  might  abound  in  the  out- 
ward form,  w4ien  our  Lord  had  to  say  of  it,  "  Thou  sayest, 

*  See  Practical  Piety,  vol.  i.  p.  102.  t  Matth.  xv.  8. 

I  Ps.  Ixx.  5. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  13 

I  am  rich,  and  increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of 
nothing,  and  knowest  not  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable^ 
and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked."  Come  to  the  throne  of 
grace  to  get,  and  not  to  give.  Bring  your  wants,  and  not 
your  fullness.  And  if  you  have  no  feeling  of  your  spirit- 
ual poverty  and  necessity,  let  your  first  prayer  be  for  this 
feeling. 

2.  Faith  in  the  being  ahd  goodness  of  God. — The  prod- 
igal thought  of  his  father's  riches  and  bounty,  and  then 
returned  to  him.  "  He  that  cometh  to  God,  must  believe 
that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of  them  that  dili- 
gently seek  him."*  He  vvlio  has  not  a  scriptural  know- 
ledge of  God,  or  who  thinks  him  a  hard  and  austere  mas- 
ter, will  never  feel  disposed  rightly  to  approach  him.  It  is 
faith,  the  gijfl  of  God,  realizing  the  view^s  given  us  in  the 
Bible  of  the  immensity,  power,  wisdom,  all-sufficiency  and 
goodness  of  God,  of  his  being  ever  present,  and  of  the  way 
of  access  by  Jesus  Christ,  which  excites  the  heart  to  draw 
near  to  him  in  full  confidence  that  he  hears  us,  and  loves 
us,  and  will  help  us.  And  what  duty  can  be  more  delight- 
ful than  thus  to  come  to  God  as  an  almighty,  compassion- 
ate, and  reconciled  Father  in  Christ  Jesus,  in  the  full  con- 
viction that  he  loves  us,  and,  because  he  loves  us,  will  deny 
us  notliing  that  is  for  our  good  1 

The  nature  of  prayer  is,  however,  better  known  by  ex- 
perience than  by  any  description.  One  who  had  just  be- 
gun to  be  in  earnest  about  religion  said,  "I  was  most 
affected  with  the  difference  which  I  found  in  my  prayers. 
I  had  never  thought  of  doing  any  thing  more  than  out 
wardly  repeating  a  form ;  but  I  was  surprised  to  find  how 
God  enabled  me,  in  my  private  devotions,  earnestly  to  ask, 
in  the  name  of  his  Son,  those  mercies  which  I  needed,  and 
really  to  desire  those  thmgs  which  I  had  before  only  for- 
mally expressed." 

Many  arguments  might  be  urged  to  show  the  duty  of 
prayer ;  but  we  will  confine  ourselves  to  some  plain  ones. 

Prayer  is  a  natural  and  reasonable  act  for  human  be- 
ings. The  first  feeling  of  the  mind,  and  the  natural  ex- 
pression of  that  feeling  in  any  sudden  and  alarming  emer- 
gency and  distress,  is  an  act  of  prayer  to  God.  Jonah  L  5, 
6.     It  is  natural  and  reasonable,  for  man  is  not  an  indei, 

*Heb.  ii.6. 
B 


14  A   TREATISE   ON"   PRAYER. 

pendent  being ;  he  is  created  by  another,  and  he  is  alto- 
gether dependent  on  his  Creator.  It  is  our  truest  wisdom 
to  know,  and  our  best  interest  to  act  upon  this  truth.  It  is 
our  highest  happiness  to  delight  in  him,  by  whose  skill, 
power,  and  love,  we  have  every  faculty  given,  and  contin- 
ued to  us.  Prayer  is  the  simplest  and  plainest  expression 
of  dependence,  and  the  most  obvious  way  of  obtaining 
help  from  God  our  Creator.  Hence  men  in  all  ages  and 
in  all  nations,  have  in  one  way  or  other  offered  up  prayer. 
Prayer  is  an  act  of  homage  justly  due  from  us,  to  the 
great  Governor  of  all.  We  thereby  adore  him,  who  only 
has  a  right  to  our  adoration.  It  is  a  special  part  of  that 
honor  and  service  to  which  he  has  every  possible  claim. 
He  ought  to  be  acknowledged  as  the  Author  and  Giver  of 
every  good  gift.  Thereby  we  glorify  his  wisdom,  as  know- 
ing all  things,  his  power,  as  able  to  extricate  us  from  every 
difficulty,  his  goodness,  as  willing  to  assist  us,  his  all-suffi- 
ciency, to  meet  every  want,  his  mercy,  as  pitying  our 
misery,  and  his  forbearance,  in  pardoning  all  our  sins.  In 
short,  what  attribute  of  God  does  not  prayer  acknowledge 
and  honor,  and  how  manifestly  does  it  tend  to  maintain  a 
constant,  and  lively,  and  general  impression  of  his  supreme 
excellence  and  glory ! 

God  has  expressly  commanded  us  to  pray  to  him.  Our 
Lord  says,  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you."*  He  declares, 
"  Men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint."f  St.  Paul 
exhorts,  "  I  will  therefore  that  men  pray  everywhere,  lift- 
ing up  holy  hands."!  Testimonies  to  this  effect  migiht  be 
multiplied.  $  The  great  God,  then,  that  made  heaven  and 
earth,  and  before  whom  you  will  stand  in  judgment,  plainly 
requires  you  to  worship  hira. 

The  relations  by  which  God  has  revealed  himself  to  us 
show  this  duty.  He  is  a  Father,  and  gives  us  *'  the  spirit 
of  adoption,  to  cry,  Abba,  Father."  Children  should  thus 
go  to  their  father  to  ask  of  him  a  supply  of  their  wants, 
and  to  tell  him  all  that  they  feel  and  enjoy.  Jesus  Christ 
13  the  way  of  access  to  God ;  a  Mediator  to  interpose  in 
our  behalf,  and  a  High  Priest  and  Intercessor  to  offer  up 
our  supplications :  the  Holy  Spirit  also  assists  our  prayers, 

*  Matt.  vii.  7.  t  Luke  xviii.  1.  1 1  Tim.  ii.  8. 

i  See  Eph.  vi.  18 ;  Phil.  iv.  6 ;  Rom  xii.  12 ;  Col.  iv.  2 ;  Matt  xxvL 
il,  &c.  &c 


A   TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  15 

making  intercession  for  us.  These  relations  are  specially 
revealed  for  our  use,  and  are  mainly  important  with  refer- 
ence to  prayer.  A  peculiar  title  therefore  given  to  God  is, 
"  O  thou  that  hearest  prayer."* 

There  are  severe  threatenings  against  those  who  neg- 
led  this  duty.  The  Psalmist  says,  "  Pour  out  thy  wrath 
upon  the  kingdoms  that  have  not  called  upon  thy  name."f 
Daniel  (ix.  13, 14,)  ascribes  the  evil  that  came  on  the  Jews 
to  their  neglect  of  prayer.  Those  who  were  to  be  cut  off, 
"  who  turned  back  from  the  Lord,  and  those  that  have  not 
sought  the  Lord."]:  It  is  the  character  given  of  the  wick- 
ed, "  who  are  far  from  God,"^  that  they  "  call  not  upon  the 
Lord  ;"1|  and  of  the  hypocrite,  that  "  he  will  not  always 
call  upon  God."1[  He  may,  perhaps,  in  a  time  of  trouble, 
seek  God's  help;  but  he  neglects  it  as  his  daily  duty. 

The  duty  of  prayer  may  be  farther  proved  from  the  prac- 
tice of  holy  persons.  I  need  not  do  more  than  enume- 
rate those  of  old.  Abraham,  (Gen.  xviii.  22 — 32  ;  xxi.  33 ;) 
Isaac,  (Gen.  xxiv.  63 ;)  Jacob,  (Gen.  xxxii.  24,  28 ;)  Hosea, 
(xii.  3,  4 ;)  Moses,  (Exod.  xxxiv.  28  ;)  Jabez,  (1  Chron.  iv. 
10 ;)  David,  (Ps.  Iv.  16,  17 ;)  Elijah,  (James  v.  17 ;  Daniel, 
(ch.  vi.  10  :)  Paul,  (Acts  ix.  11 ;  Rom.  i.  9 ;  Eph.  i.  15,  16 ; 
Phil.  i.  3,  4 ;  2  Tim.  i.  3 ;)  Peter,  (Acts  x.  9 ;)  with  many 
others:  or  those  holy  women,  Rebecca,  (Gen.  xxv.  22  0 
Hannah,  (1  Sam.  i.  13,  14;)  Anna,  (Luke  ii.  38;)  and 
others,  to  show  that  they  lived  in  prayer.  And  why  is 
their  devotion  recorded  1  not  for  their  glory,  but  as  exam- 
ples for  us.  The  man  of  much  prayer  resembles  those 
Patriarchs  of  old,  who  "  walked  with  God,"  and  has  some- 
thing of  their  privileges,  to  whom  God  manifested  himself 
in  the  flesh,  and  with  whom  he  conversed  on  earth.  Not 
to  dwell  on  these,  let  us  look  to  our  Lord  himself,  whose 
example  is  especially  set  before  us  to  be  followed.  Few 
parts  of  his  character  are  more  plainly  exhibited,  than 
his  constant  regard  of  this  duty.  The  reader  is  referred 
to  the  following  passages :  Matt.  xiv.  23 ;  Mark  i.  35 ;  vi. 
46;  Luke  v.  16,  26;  vi.  12;  xxiL  39—45;  Heb.  v.  7; 
vii.  25. 

Prayer  is  also  an  indispensable  means  to  be  used  in 
order  to  obtain  spiritual  blessings.     The  good  things  of 

*  Pa.  Ixv.  2.  t  Ps.  Ixxix.  6  t  Zeph.  i.  6. 

^  Pa.  Ixiiii.  27.  I!  Ps  xiv.  4.  IT  Job.  iiviu  10 


16  A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER. 

this  life  are  given  indeed  indiscriminately  to  good  or  bad 
men :  God  thus  sliowing-  how  little  value  we  ought  to  set 
on  those  things  which  the  wicked  often  abundantly  possess. 
But  grace  and  pardon,  mercy  and  salvation,  are  promised 
expressly  to  those  who  pray.  "  If  thou  shalt  pray  unto 
God,  he  shall  be  favorable  unto  thee.'"*  "  Thou,  Lord,  art 
good,  and  ready  to  forgive,  and  plenteous  in  mercy  unto  all 
that  call  upon  thee."f  No  excellencies  can  compensate 
for  the  want  of  prayer.  In  fact,  it  lies  at  the  root  of  the 
real  benefit  of  all  the  other  gifts  of  God  to  man. 

But  religion  is  in  a  low  state  in  the  heart  of  that  man 
on  whom  prayer  must  be  urged  as  a  duty.  It  ought  ever 
to  be  considered  as  the  greatest  of  all  mercies  that  we  are 
permitted  to  pray  to  God,  and  assured  that  "  every  one 
that  asketh  receiveth."  We  shall,  therefore,  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapter,  consider  prayer  rather  as  a  privilege  than 
as  a  duty. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  PRIVILEGE  OF  PRAYER. 

"  The  true  happiness  of  every  Christian,"  says  Bishop 
Wilkins,  "  does  properly  consist  in  his  spiritual  communion 
with  God."  Prayer  is,  then,  a  necessary  part  of  the  Chris- 
tian's happiness,  for  it  brings  him  into  the  presence  of  God, 
and  is  the  most  direct  act  of  communion  with  him. 

Every  one  that  prays  aright,  can  adopt  David's  expres- 
sion, "  It  is  good  for  me  to  draw  near  to  God,"  It  is  plea- 
sant, it  is  honorable,  it  is  advantageous.  If  I  have  riches, 
they  may  or  may  not  be  good  for  me.  If  I  have  human 
knowledge,  power,  eloquence,  talent,  and  earthly  glory,  or 
any  of  the  good  things  of  this  life,  they  may  or  may  not 
be  good  for  me :  but  if  I  have  the  grace  of  prayer,  the 
heart  to  draw  near  to  God,  it  is  unmixed,  unqualitied  good. 
It  is  certainly  and  unquestionably  good  for  me. 

Consider  some  of  the  advantajjres  of  prayer. 

Prayer  is  the  means  which  God  has  appointed  for  you 

*  Job.  xxxiii.  26.  i  Ps.  kxxvi.  5. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  17 

to  obtain  every  good,  and  to  escape  every  evil.— It  has 
pleased  him  to  appoint  this  means  for  various  wise  and 
noly  purposes ;  and  especially  that  we  may  acknowledge 
and  glorify  his  attributes ;  that  we  may  see  our  dependence 
on  him,  and  prove  our  obedience  to  him.  There  is  no 
evil  that  you  may  now  suffer,  or  that  you  may  expect  to 
suffer,  which  prayer  is  not  the  appointed  means  to  alle- 
viate or  avert.  Our  Lord  declares,  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be 
given  unto  you;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find;  knock,  and  it 
shall  be  opened  unto  you."  Greater  blessings  than  we 
can  think  of  may  thus  be  obtained,  "  Call  upon  me,  and 
I  will  answer  thee,  and  will  show  thee  great  and  mighty 
things  which  thou  knowest  not  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  Israel !" 

We  are  certain  of  obtaining  what  we  ask  in  faith,  ac- 
cording to  God''s  will. — The  numerous  promises  made  to 
faithful  prayer  fully  confirm  this  remark.  He  "  is  able  to  do 
exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think."* 
You  may  labor  for  riches,  and  lay  by  money  year  after 
year,  and  after  every  care  your  money  may  be  lost,  and 
you  die  poor  ;  or  it  may  bring  you  trouble  and  sorrow,  ra- 
ther than  any  advantage.  You  may  pursue  the  pleasures 
or  favor  of  the  world,  and  live  miserable  and  die  despised. 
But  if  you  seek  the  blessings  of  God  in  fervent  prayer, 
you  cannot  be  disappointed.  This  has  been  the  testimony 
of  every  servant  of  God  from  the  beginning.  How  differ- 
ently men  reason  about  earthly  and  spiritual  things !  If  a 
great,  and  faithful,  and  gracious  monarch  were  to  promise 
riches,  pleasures,  or  honors,  to  those  who  come  to  him,  his 
court  would  soon  be  crowded ;  men  would  anxiously  ask, 
"  what  has  he  promised  1  how  may  I  go  to  him  V  But 
God  himself  has  earnestly  invited  us  to  come  to  him,  has 
promised  to  supply  all  our  wants,  and  to  give  us  durable 
riches  and  righteousness.  It  is  the  solemn  declaration  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  his  disciples,  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he 
ivill  give  it  you ;  ask,  and  ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy 
may  be  full."  You  may  not  indeed  obtain  the  first  time 
you  ask ;  the  promise  gives  no  assurance  that  you  shalL 
St.  Paul  had  "  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,"  and  besought  the  Lord 
thrice,  or  fi-equently,  before  he  was  heard.     You  may  not 

*  Eph.  iii.  20. 
B2 


18  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

obtain  the  very  thing  which  you  ask ;  but  asking"  aright, 
you  will  obtain  that  which  will  fully  satisfy  the  spiritual 
mind.*  St.  Paul's  thorn  in  the  flesh  was  not  removed,  but 
he  was  enabled  to  take  pleasure  in  his  infirmities.  No 
prayers  offered  up  aright  will  ever  be  made  in  vain. 

The  privilege  of  prayer  was  purchased  for  us  at  the 
costly  price  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,\  and  therefore 
we  may  easily  imagine  what  a  great  and  vast  advantage 
it  must  be,  and  how  excellent  is  that  liberty  of  access  unto 
God  which  was  thus  obtained.  Souls  now  in  eternal  ruin 
are  not  privileged  to  pray.  They  have  irrecoverably  lost 
this  good.  The  fallen  angels  have  no  way  of  access  to 
Grod.  Jesus  "  took  not  on  him  the  nature  of  angels."  Shall 
we  then  slight  or  despise  the  distinguishing  privilege  of 
our  present  life  ] 

Prayer  is  a  satisfactory  evidence  of  our  having  obtain- 
ed the  saving  grace  of  God.  "  Because  ye  are  sons,  God 
hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  our  hearts,  where- 
by we  cry,  Abba,  Father."|  It  is  the  breath  of  the  spirit- 
ual life  in  the  soul.§-  Whatever  has  life,  must  breathe; 
and  if  the  life  be  strong,  it  will  breathe  freely.  If  prayer 
be  faint,  weak,  and  disordered,  the  person  is  not  in  full  life 
and  health ;  if  there  be  no  prayer,  there  is  no  spiritual  life 
at  all ;  the  first  mark  of  it  is,  "Behold,  he  prayeth  :"||  and 
the  last  account  of  one  is  his  prayer,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive 
my  spirit. '"IT  It  is  to  the  spiritual  Church  the  promise  be- 
longs— "  I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  suppli- 
cation."** If  you  have  a  fervent  persevering  spirit  of  prayer, 
you  have  a  sure  evidence  of  being  born  again ;  of  the  life 
of  God  begun  in  your  soul.  When  you  can  feel  with  Da- 
vid, "  my  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee, 
in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land,  to  see  thy  power  and  thy  glory, 
so  as  I  have  seen  thee  in  the  sanctuary :"  then  you  may 
also  say,  with  humble  yet  believing  confidence,  "  O  God, 
thou  art  my  God." 

Prayer  gains  for  us  spiritual  strength. — It  is  that  sin- 
gular duty  in  which  every  grace  is  exercised,  every  sin 
opposed,  every  blessing  obtained,  the  whole  soul  revived, 

*  1  John  v.  14. 15;  Rom.  viii.  27,  28.        t  Eph.  ii.  18 ;  Heb.  x.  19. 
JGal.  iv.  6.  $Lam.  iii.56.  HActsix.ll. 

IT  \cts  vii.  59.  **  Zech.  xii.  10. 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  19 

strengthened,  and  invigorated  for  the  Christian  race.  Just 
in  proportion  to  your  prayers,  so  is  your  holiness,  so  is  your 
usefulness.  The  praying  Christian  is  the  strong,  the  thriv- 
ing Christian,  "  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his 
might."  As  the  naturally  weak  ivy,  which,  if  it  had  no 
support,  would  only  grovel  on  the  earth,  by  adhering  to 
some  neighboring  tree,  or  building,  and  entwining  itself 
about  it,  thus  grows  and  flourishes,  and  rises  higher  and 
higher ;  and  the  more  the  winds  blow,  and  the  tempests 
beat  against  it,  the  closer  it  adheres,  and  the  nearer  it 
clings,  and  the  faster  its  fibres  embrace  that  which  supports 
it,  and  it  remains  uninjured :  just  so  the  Christian,  natu- 
rally weak,  by  prayer  connects  himself  with  the  Almighty ; 
and  the  more  dangers  and  d  fficulties  beset  him,  the  more 
closely  they  unite  him  to  hib  God  ;  he  reaches  towards,  and 
leans  upon,  and  clings  to  him,  and  is  strengthened  with 
divine  strength.  High  is  the  privilege  of  prayer,  which 
turns  our  very  wants  to  our  advantage,  leading  us  by  them 
mto  a  constant  intercourse  with  God,  and  keeping  us  in  a 
spiritual  and  heavenly  state  of  mind. 

By  prayer  we  obtain  true  peace  of  mind,  that  peace  to 
which  those  who  never  pray  are  utter  strangers. — This 
peace  is  a  calm  and  entire  resting  upon  God  for  the  supply 
of  every  necessity,  of  body  and  soul,  for  time  and  for  eter- 
nity. It  is  a  casting  all  our  burden,  whatever  it  be,  upon 
a  kind,  compassionate,  Almighty  friend,  who  willingly  sus- 
tains it,  and  relieves  and  comforts  us.  "  Casting  all  your 
care  on  him,  for  he  careth  for  you."  Let  the  Christian 
follow  the  Apostle's  direction,  "Be  careful  for  nothing; 
but  in  every  thing,  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanks- 
giving, let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God,"  and 
iie  may  fully  expect  the  effect  which  that  Apostle  describes 
— "and  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding, 
shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds,  through  Christ  Jesus." 
How  calm  and  composed  may  he  be,  amid  all  the  storms 
and  distractions  of  this  world,  who  has  daily  and  hourly 
communion  with  the  Creator,  Ruler,  and  Preserver  of  all ' 
things !  The  Christian  falls  below  his  true  happiness  in  this 
life,  if  he  does  not  enjoy  constant  peace  of  mind.  "  Thou 
wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee."* 

*  Isa.  xxvi.  3. 


20  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Prayer  is  especially  advantageous  in  the  time  of  trouble. 
— Even  those  who  neglect  God  altogether  at  other  times, 
are  often  then  compelled  to  apply  to  him,  and  even  in  such 
a  case  he  has  heard  and  accepted  them.*  But  with  a  pecu- 
liarly filial  confidence  may  those  approach  unto  him,  when 
they  are  in  trouble,  whose  habit  of  mind,  whose  continual 
practice,*  whose  whole  life,  is  a  drawing  near  to  God.  The 
command  and  the  promise  belong  to  them,  "  Call  upon  me 
in  the  day  of  trouble,  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
glorify  me."f  Indeed,  what  Christian  has  not  found  in  his 
own  experience,  the  truth  of  the  declaration,  "  God  is  our 
refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in  trouble."}: 
When  no  other  ear  could  hear  but  his,  no  other  arm  save, 
no  other  power  relieve  or  help ;  when  we  were  destitute 
and  almost  in  despair,  then  his  ear  heard,  and  through  his 
mercy  we  were  delivered.  Prayer,  like  the  precious  metal, 
comes  most  pure  from  the  heated  furnace.  Are  you  de- 
pressed under  your  guilt,  your  weakness  your  ignorance, 
or  your  ingratitude !  You  may  spread  your  distress,  as 
Hezekiah  did  his  letter,  before  God,  and  you  need  not  fear 
but  that  God  will  help  you :  and  what  a  comfort  it  is  that 
we  can  never  come  unseasonably  to  him  !  A  great  man  or 
a  friend  may  be  so  circumstanced  that  we  cannot  interrupt 
him,  or  he  will  soon  be  wearied  by  repeated  application,  or 
he  may  be  so  far  off  that  we  cannot  get  at  him ;  but  our 
God  is  ever  nigh  unto  us — he  is  always  with  us ;  "a  very 
present  help  in  trouble."  Other  friends,  if  willing,  may  not 
be  able  to  help  us — but  he  has  both  the  will  and  the  power 
to  give  the  greatest  blessings.  "  Even  our  guilt,  when  con- 
fessed, becomes  a  plea  for  relief;ll  and  the  worst  condition 
that  can  be,  the  strongest  reason  to  pray  ;  all  that  is  given, 
being  given,  not  for  our  merits,  but  for  Christ's  sake."  The 
following  affecting  anecdote  is  told  us  of  a  poor  negro  wo- 
man. She  was  a  poor  slave  in  the  West  Indies,  and  was 
forbidden  by  her  master  to  attend  public  worship,  and 
threatened  with  severe  punishment  if  she  did  go :  the  only 
reply  she  made,  was,  "  I  must  tell  the  Lord  that ;"  a  reply 
that  so  affected  her  owner,  that  he  no  longer  refused  her 
liberty  to  go.  What  a  view  does  this  give  us  of  the 
blessedness  of  prayer,  that  a  poor  and  friendless  outcast 

*  Isa.  xxvi.  16 ;  1  Kings  xxi.  29.  t  Ps.  1.  15. 

t  Ps.  ilvi.  1.  II  1  John  i.  9. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  21 

may  thereby  obtain  the  aid  of  the  great  Governor  of  the 
universe ! 

In  prayer  we  enjoy  the  presence  of  God. — "  Draw  nigh 
to  God,"  says  St.  James,  "and  he  will  draw  nigh  to  you." 
The  devout  soul,  having  found  in  the  solitude  of  the  closet 
the  presence  of  God,  is  glad  to  withdraw  itself  from  the 
distraction  of  the  world,  and  retire  to  hold  converse  with 
hun  in  secret.  "  As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks, 
so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God.  When  shall  I  come 
and  appear  before  God  ]"*  The  Savior  assured  his  disci- 
ples, "  he  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and 
1  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  myself  to  him."t  There 
is  an  experience,  therefore,  of  this  presencOfinto  which  only 
those  who  love  Christ  can  enter.  Jeremiah  seems  to  feel 
the  loss  of  it,  when  in  so  affecting  a  way  he  exclaims, 
"  O  thou  hope  of  Israel,  thou  Savior  thereof  in  the  time 
of  trouble,  why  shouldest  thou  be  as  a  stranger  in  the 
land,  and  as  a  wayfaring  man  that  turneth  aside  to  tarry 
for  a  night  .'"| 

V}:B.yQr  prepares  us  for  the  enjoyment  of  God  hereafter. 
— He  who  has  had  this  heavenly  intercourse  on  earth,  and 
has  here  been  able  to  say,  "  truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the 
Father  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,"  is  prepared  to  enter 
into  the  blissful  society  above.  God  is  not  a  stranger  to 
him ;  he  has  long  known  him ;  his  Savior  is  his  tried  and 
constant  friend.  And  just  as  a  man  who  has  been  continu- 
ally experiencing  the  bounty  and  goodness  of  a  friend  whom 
he  has  never  seen,  will  rejoice  in  beholding  his  face,  so  will 
it  be  to  the  devout  believer.  He  will  enter  heaven  with 
the  conviction,  "  In  thy  presence  is  fullness  of  joy." 

The  devout  believer,  then,  is  the  only  truly  happy  man. 
What  a  delightful  life  does  he  live,  whose  prayers  afford 
him  constant  communion  with  God !  No  fears  and  anxieties 
about  future  things  need  distract  him,  nor  present  difficul- 
ties and  burdens  weigh  him  down.  He  may  calmly,  steadi- 
ly, and  cheerfully  pass  through  all  the  varieties  of  this  life, 
living  in  the  most  exalted  and  yet  endearing  friendship  with 
his  Maker,  having  a  constant  support,  and  a  hidden  but 
solid  joy  from  intercourse  with  him,  possessing  an  ample 
resource  in  every  circumstance  here  below,  and  an  assured 
expectation  of  everlasting  felicity  with  Him  at  whose  right 

*  Ps.  xlii.  1,  2.  t  John  xiv.  21.  X  Jer.  xiv  S. 


22  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

hand  "  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore."  Let  the  happi- 
ness of  the  life  of  devotion  induce  you  diligently  to  seek 
divine  grace,  to  enable  you  to  say  with  David,  "  I  give  my- 
self unto  prayer." 

These,  and  many  other  things  which  might  be  mentioned, 
are  the  advantages  of  prayer.  But  men  err  in  two  ways 
concerning  this  privilege:  some  wholly  neglect  their  pray- 
ers, and  some  trust  in  them. 

Some  neglect  prayer,  and  this  on  various  grounds.  They 
say,  God  knows  what  I  want  without  my  asking,  and  he  is 
too  wise  and  too  good  to  need  my  information  in  order  to 
relieve  me.  This  should  be  an  argument  to  raise  your  faith 
and  hope,  and  i|pt  to  hinder  your  prayers.*  God  is  indeed 
wise,  infinitely  wise  ;  and,  being  so  wise,  he  has  in  his 
word  directed  you  to  make  known  your  wants  unto  him  by 
prayer.  His  knowledge  is  one  reason  why  you  should  pray 
to  him,  and  his  goodness  another,  why  you  may  confidently 
apply  to  him.  Will  you  pretend  to  be  wiser  than  he  is  1 
Whatever  his  design  may  be  in  it,  your  duty  is  clear — to 
obey  his  will.  He  knows  when  you  will  die,  and  might 
support  you  without  food,  and  yet  you  daily  eat.  Remember 
that  "  it  may  be  agreeable  to  perfect  wisdom,  to  grant  that 
to  our  prayers  which  it  would  not  have  been  agreeable  to 
the  same  wisdom  to  have  given  us  without  praying  for." 
What  if  prayer  be  his  plan  for  making  you  humble,  depen- 
dent, devout,  believing,  and  thankful  1  In  short,  for  impress- 
ing you  with  a  sense  and  feeling  of  your  wants,  and  for 
bringing  you  to  a  proper  state  of  mind  to  receive  his  bless- 
ing ]  But  whatever  his  design  may  be,  it  is  your  highest 
wisdom  and  interest  to  follow  his  directions. 

A  similar  objection  is,  that  God  is  unchangeable,  and 
prayer  will  not  alter  nor  reverse  his  purposes. — We  do 
not  say  that  prayer  really  changes  the  purposes  of  God, 
though  it  may  be  sometimes  so  expressed  in  condescension 
to  our  infirmities  :  but  we  say  his  course  of  dealing  is  quite 
different  with  those  who  pray,  and  those  who  do  not.  We 
may  think,  indeed,  that  we  are  drawing  God  nearer  to  us, 
when  we  in  truth  draw  nearer  to  him,  as  a  person  with  a 
boat-hook  which  he  fixes  to  the  shore  is  ready  to  think 
when  he  draws  the  boat,  that  he  is  moving  the  land  towards 
him,  when  in  fact  he  himself  is  coming  nearer  to  the  land. 

*  Matt.  vi.  8,  9. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  ^3 

But  you  quite  mistake  the  true  design  of  this  perfection  of 
God,  if  you  think  it  should  keep  you  from  praying.  The 
unchangeableness  of  God,  so  far  from  being  an  argument 
against  prayer,  is  the  reason  why  you  should  pray,  and  se- 
cure to  yourself  the  fulfilment  of  his  promises.  What  are 
the  purposes  of  God  3  are  they  known,  or  secret  1  If  known, 
as  if  he  has  threatened  judgment,  prayer  may  avert  it 
Look  at  the  example  of  Nineveh,  and  see  the  effect  of  the 
Ninevites  humbling  themselves  before  God,  though  God 
had  threatened,  "  Yet  forty  days,  and  Nineveh  shall  be  de- 
stroyed." Prayer  arrests  the  judgment.  Or,  if  he  has  made 
promises,  it  is  still  our  duty  to  pray  that  they  may  be  ac- 
complished. When  Daniel  knew  that  the  return  of  the 
Jews  at  a  certain  time  was  decreed  of  God,  it  only  stirred 
him  up  to  pray  more  earnestly  for  the  blessing.  You  cannot 
tell  what  the  secret  purposes  of  God  are  ;  but  you  know 
that  God  has  appointed  prayer  as  the  means  of  obtaining 
good  and  averting  evil.  If  you  neglect  the  means  which 
he  has  directed  you  to  use,  you  have  no  reason  to  expect 
the  blessing  which  you  desire :  but  if  you  are  induced  by 
his  grace  to  use  the  means,  it  is  a  good  sign  that  you  are 
likely  to  obtain  the  desired  end.  Remember,  then,  that 
though  there  be  "  no  variableness  nor  shadow  of  turning" 
with  him,  yet  the  means  are  ordained  as  well  as  the  effect, 
and  pray  to  gain  that  which  God  ordains  to  be  obtained  by 
prayer.  Jesus  Christ  himself  prayed,  and  commanded  you 
to  pray ;  and  an  excuse  drawn  from  the  unchangeableness 
of  God  will  never  avail  you  in  answer  to  a  plain  command, 
sanctioned  by  such  an  example,  and  especially  when  there 
are  such  great  and  evident  advantages  in  obtaining  your 
desires  through  prayer. 

Others  say,  /  cannot  pray.  Indeed  you  cannot  of  your- 
self, and  this  is  your  guilt  and  your  sin ;  but  you  may  pray 
by  the  help  of  God,  and  I  purpose  to  show  how  "  to  them 
that  have  no  might  God  increaseth  strength."  But  have 
you  ever  tried  to  pray  ?  have  you  ever  asked  God  to  enable 
you  to  pray  1  Many  children,  when  a  hard  lesson  is  given 
them,  say  to  their  teachers,  I  cannot  learn  it ;  yet  by  trymg, 
and  attending  to  the  instructions  they  receive,  the  hardest 
lessons  are  mastered.  So  it  will  be  with  you  as  to  prayer. 
Only  try,  remembering  that  God  accepts  the  willing  mind.* 

*  2  Cor.  viii.  12. 


24  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

The  greatest  obstacle  is  not  want  of  ability,  but  want  of 
will.  I  know  that  the  poor  often  say,  I  have  no  book  of 
learning,  and  therefore  cannot  pray.  And  some  are  igno- 
rant enough  to  suppose  that  only  ministers  of  religion  need 
pray.  Had  you  no  personal  wants,  then  indeed  you  might 
more  plausibly  thus  reason.  But  prayer  must  be  the  act  of 
your  own  mind,  of  yourself  individually.  God  requires  you 
to  pray.  The  prayer  of  your  minister,  your  relatives  and 
friends,  does  not  make  your  own  prayer  unnecessary.  Their 
prayers  may  be  of  use  in  obtaining  for  you  grace  to  seek 
God  more  earnestly ;  but  you  cannot  expect  to  obtain  his 
mercy  and  blessing  unless  you  yourself  unfeignedly  apply 
to  the  throne  of  grace.  And  as  to  ability  to  pray,  it  is  a  deep 
sense  of  your  necessities  that  forms  the  great  qualification 
for  real  prayer.  Hence  all  persons,  high  and  low,  learned 
and  unlearned,  are  by  nature  on  a  level  in  this  respect.  A 
beggar,  feeling  his  poverty  and  wretchedness,  does  not 
want  book-learning,  to  teach  him  how  to  come  to  ask 
your  alms.  He  simply  tells  you  his  distress,  points  to  his 
tattered  garments,  or  his  pallid  or  diseased  body,  and  thus 
most  effectually  makes  his  way  to  your  heart.  And  so, 
though  you  cannot  read,  you  may  still  pray  to  God,  and  be 
accepted  by  him. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  objection,  /  am  too  much  occu- 
pied to  pray.  Prayer  is  very  proper  for  those  who  have 
time,  but  I  am  so  full  of  other  engagements  that  I  cannot 
attend  to  it. — You  surely  do  not  mean  to  say  so !  Time ! 
cannot  get  time !  how  do  you  employ  your  time  ?  Is  none 
of  it  wasted  in  sinful  pleasures  or  pursuits  ]  Do  you  ever 
find  leisure  to  talk  about  your  children's  or  friend's  good 
qualities]  Do  you  never  find  opportunity  to  thank  men  for 
earthly  favors  1  and  have  you  not  time  to  acknowledge  God's 
goodness  of  which  your  lives  are  full  ?  If  you  are  afflicted, 
can  you  not  find  time  to  unbosom  yourself  to  a  friend,  who 
yet  perhaps  can  afford  you  no  effectual  help  ?  and  should 
you  not  tell  your  cares  and  sorrows  to  God,  your  best  friend, 
who  can  deliver  you  from  all  your  troubles  ]  But  you  for- 
get that  devotion  itself  is  the  most  important  part  of  your 
business,  the  greatest  work  of  your  life.  You  have  more 
to  do  with  God  than  with  the  whole  world.  Prayer  will  ob- 
tain God's  blessing  on  all  you  do.  It  will  prepare  you  for  a 
happy  eternity.  You  are  not  lavishing  away  your  time  or 
misemploying  it  by  prayer.  It  was  a  saymg  of  Dr.  Donne's 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER*  S5 

'*  that  the  only  time  he  saved,  or  employed  to  the  best  pur- 
pose, he  spent  in  piety  and  prayer,  and  in  doing  good."  I 
answer  your  plea  of  business,  by  the  experience  of  a  devout 
man  who  said,  "  when  I  have  hastened  over  the  duties  of 
God's  worship,  out  of  a  too  eager  desire  to  follow  my  world- 
ly business,  I  did  many  times  meet  with  some  secret  crosa 
in  my  affairs ;  whereas  when  I  took  my  ordinary  time,  God 
did  make  my  other  business  to  succeed  the  better,  or  else 
my  mind  was  brought  to  a  quiet  submission  to  the  divine 
will."  No  business  in  the  world  brings  such  unspeakable 
gain  as  private  prayer  does.  He  that  prays  well  will  do  all 
well  besides.*  What  are  you  laboring  for  ]  the  good  things 
of  this  life  1  Remember,  then,  that  devotion  "  procures,"  as 
Barrow  observes,  "  wealth,  inestimably  precious,  pleasure 
infinitely  satisfactory,  honor  incomparably  noble  above  all 
that  this  world  can  afford."  Look  at  David,  Daniel,  and 
St.  Paul,  men  the  most  constant  in  devotion,  and  yet  in- 
cessantly engaged,  and  manifestly  blessed,  in  their  several 
stations. 

Another  man  will  tell  us,  IJind  no  benefit  from  prayer. 
— I  have  prayed,  and  seem  no  better  for  it ;  nay,  rather 
worse. — If  you  feel  more  of  your  guilt  and  sinfulness,  that 
of  itself  is  an  advantage,  and  should  bring  you  more  to  the 
Savior.  This  is  a  vain  excuse.  Shall  the  minister  give  up 
preaching  because  his  congregation  seem  to  receive  no  im- 
mediate benefit]  Shall  the  husbandman,  because  the  seed 
just  sown  in  one  part  of  the  field  has  not  directly  sprung 
up,  not  sow  the  remainder  of  the  field  1  Let  this  objection 
lead  you  not  to  neglect  your  prayers,  but  to  examine  their 
character.  We  know  that  true  prayer  is  attended  with  the 
greatest  benefits.  One  devout  person  would  sometimes  say 
to  her  friends,  "I  would  not  be  hired  out  of  my  closet  for  a 
thousand  worlds." 

Some  venture  to  say,  "J  am  too  wicked  to  pray. — The 

*  Fenelon,  quoted  by  Sheppard,  remarks,  "  We  must  reserve  the 
needful  hours  for  communing  with  God  in  prayer.  Persons  who  are 
in  considerable  offices,  have  so  many  indispensable  duties  to  fulfil, 
that  scarcely  any  time  remains  to  them  for  communion  with  God, 
except  they  strictly  apply  themselves  to  its  regulation.  It  is  necessa- 
ry then  to  be  firm  in  adopting  and  observing  a  rule.  Our  rigor  in 
this  may  seem  excessive  :  but  without  it  all  falls  into  confusion ;  we 
are  dissipated  and  relaxed ;  we  lose  our  strength ;  we  are  insensibly 
at  a  distance  from  God." 


26  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

sacrifices  of  the  wicked  are  an  abomination  to  the  Lord." 
Is  it  my  duty  to  pray  while  unreg^enerate  ]  But  he  who 
thinks  that  he  shall  get  rid  of  the  duty  of  prayer  on  account 
of  his  wickedness,  does  not  only  confess,  but  aggravate  his 
guilt  and  his  condemnation.  You  must  not,  indeed,  come 
with  the  same  wicked  mind  with  which  you  committed  your 
sins :  but  go  grieved  and  penitent ;  and  the  sooner  you  go 
the  better.  "  The  plowing  of  the  wicked,"  all  they  do, 
"  is  sin ;"  and  yet  even  a  worldly  man  would  not  therefore 
justify  them  in  being  idle.  Your  neglect  of  prayer  is  per- 
haps the  very  cause  of  your  wickedness.  Begin  to  seek 
the  grace  of  prayer,  and  God  will  give  you  grace  to  amend. 
It  is  your  duty,  though  unregenerate,  to  pray,  and  to  pray 
especially  for  a  new  heart.  When  God  had  promised  the 
new  heart  and  the  new  spirit  to  the  Jews,  he  adds,  "  I  will 
yet  for  this  be  inquired  of  by  the  house  of  Israel  to  do  it  for 
them."*  Who  more  wicked  than  Simon  Magus  1  and  yet 
the  apostle  calls  on  him  to  repent  and  pray  to  God.f  Your 
guilt  should  bring  you  to  your  Savior,  and  not  keep  you 
from  him.  Will  not  the  sick  man  desire  to  see  the  Physi- 
cian 1  Is  keeping  at  a  distance,  and  contemptuous  and  neg- 
ligent conduct  in  an  offender,  as  likely  to  gain  the  favor 
of  him  that  is  offended,  as  an  humble  and  meek  confes- 
sion of  fault,  and  entreaty  for  pardon?  All  the  practice 
and  conduct  of  a  man,  all  your  own  experience,  all  the 
confessions  of  sin,  and  all  the  petitions  for  mercy  which 
are  recorded  in  the  Bible,  testify  against  such  an  idea. 
If  your  confession  of  wickedness  be  the  real  feeling  of 
your  heart,  you  see  it  is  the  very  reason  that  you  should 
immediately  begin  to  meditate  on  your  sad  condition,  to  re- 
pent and  seek  God's  mercy  in  prayer.  But  if  it  be  not  the 
feeling  of  your  heart,  this  excuse  for  neglecting  prayer 
needs  no  answer. 

There  are  others  who  seem  to  think  that  all  exhortations 
to  prayer  savor  of  legality.  We  are  to  be  saved  by  believ- 
ing, and  not  by  working.  But  how  gross  is  the  mistake  of 
such.  We  press  it  not  as  a  mere  task  or  a  meritorious  labor, 
but  as  a  plain  duty.  We  state  it  to  be  a  privilege  and  a 
blessing  bestowed  on  all  the  children  of  God.  We  are 
not,  it  is  true,  saved  by  our  prayers,  but  by  Christ ;  yet 
we  shall  never  be  saved  without  prayer,  for  the  spirit  of 

*  Ea»k.  xxivi.  26.  37.  t  Acts,  viii.  S3. 


A    TREATIES   ON    PRAYER.  27 

prayer  is  a  part  of  our  salvation.  Living  in  neglect  of  pray- 
er, is  a  plain  proof,  w^hatever  men's  notions  or  fancies  may 
be,  whatever  their  doctrinal  sentiments  are,  that  they  have 
none  of  the  spirit  of  adoption,  and  so  do  not  belong  to 
Christ.  Nay,  a  disregard  of  prayer  shows  that  you  have 
none  of  the  real  feelings  of  evangelical  truth,  which,  work- 
ing by  love,  ever  influences  the  soul  to  seek  the  preseace 
of  him  we  love. 

Is  there  not  at  the  bottom  of  all  these  objections,  a  rea- 
son of  this  kind,  /  dislike  prayer — It  puts  a  restraint  upon 
all  my  ways — It  compels  me  to  think  of  that  which  I  had 
rather  forget  ] — But  what  are  you  thus  owning  yourself  to 
be  T  It  is  the  character  of  the  wicked,  "  God  is  not  in  all 
his  thoughts  ;"  they  dislike  to  "  retain  God  in  their  know- 
ledge." Ah !  remember,  at  one  time  or  other,  all  flesh  must 
come  before  God ;  he  now  sits  on  a  throne  of  grace,  where 
you  may  obtain  mercy ;  he  will  hereafter  sit  on  a  throne  of 
judgment,  where  he  will  for  ever  condemn  those  who  have 
not  sought  and  found  "  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need." 

This  neglect  of  prayer  is  the  fault  of  many  ;  but  "  there 
is  a  generation  who  are  righteous  in  their  own  eyes,"  who 
trust  in  their  prayers. — They  reason,  little  as  they  think 
it,  on  the  supposition  that  for  every  prayer  they  make,  God 
is,  as  it  were,  so  much  in  debt  to  them,  and  thus  that  by  the 
multitude  of  their  prayers  they  deserve  heaven.  This  is  a 
common  but  a  strange  mistake.  What  merit  can  there  be 
in  begging  and  seeking  that,  which  if  we  obtain,  lays  us 
under  increased  obligations  ]  Israel  of  old  "  followed  afl;er 
the  law  of  righteousness,"  but  did  not  attain  it,  "  because 
they  sought  it  not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of 
the  law."  Is  this  not  too  mucli  your  case  1  Be  not  mistaken ; 
though  prayer  is  good  in  its  proper  place,  it  is  not  good  in 
the  way  of  meriting  any  thing  from  God.  It  is  not  good 
in  the  way  even  of  disposing  God  to  give.  He  is  ever  ready 
to  give  abundantly  unto  us,  "  more  ready  to  hear  than  we 
are  to  pray,  and  wont  to  give  more  than  either  we  desire 
or  deserve."  But  it  is  good,  as  it  is  pursuing  the  plan  which 
God  has  appointed  for  obtaining  his  blessings; — it  is  good, 
as  it  is  the  way  in  which  he  bestows  them.  Renounce,  then, 
your  own  rigliteousness ;  and  thus  humbly  and  believmgly 
seek,  and  you  shall  find. 

If  you  did  but  know  the  true  character  of  your  fancied 
righteousness,  you  would  say  with  Isaiah,  "  all  our  right- 


28  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

eousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags,"  as  a  rejected  garment. 
You  would  enter  into  the  feelings  of  the  excellent  Bishop 
Beveridge,  who  declares,*  "I  know  not  how  it  is  with 
others,  but  for  my  own  part  I  do  not  remember,  neither  do 
I  believe,  that  I  ever  prayed  in  my  lifetime  with  that  rev- 
erence, or  heard  with  that  attention,  or  did  any  other  work, 
with  that  pure  and  single  eye,  as  I  ought  to  have  done." 
Or,  as  he  says  in  another  place,  "  I  do  not  only  betray  the 
inbred  venom  of  my  heart,  by  poisoning  my  common  ac- 
tions, but  even  my  most  religious  performances  also  with 
sin.  I  cannot  pray  but  I  sin ;  I  cannot  hear  or  preach  a  ser- 
mon, but  I  sin ;  I  cannot  give  an  alms,  or  receive  the  sacra- 
ment, but  I  sin.  Nay,  I  cannot  so  much  as  confess  my  sins, 
but  my  very  confessions  are  still  aggravations  of  them ;  my 
repentance  needs  to  be  repented  of;  my  tears  want  wash- 
ing ;  and  the  very  washing  of  my  tears  needs  still  to  be 
washed  over  again  with  the  blood  of  my  Redeemer.  Thus 
not  only  the  worst  of  my  sins,  but  even  the  best  of  my  du- 
ties, speak  me  a  child  of  Adam.  Insomuch  that  whenever  I 
reflect  on  my  past  actions,  methinks  I  cannot  but  look  on 
my  whole  life,  from  the  time  of  my  conception  to  this  very 
moment,  to  be  but  as  one  continued  act  of  sin." 

With  these  feelings,  you  would  be  sensible  at  once,  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  and  complete  Savior  of  sinners, 
and  that  it  is  only  "  by  his  obedience  many  are  made  right- 
eous." Instead  of  trusting  in  your  prayers,  you  would 
mourn  over  their  imperfections,  and  be  led  to  trust  simply, 
wholly,  and  entirely  in  Christ  and  him  crucified.  An  old 
writer,  Scudder,  observes,  "God  uses,  when  he  is  over- 
come by  prayer,"  (alluding  to  Jacob,  Gen.  xxxii.  28.)  "  to 
work  in  them  that  do  overcome,  some  sense  of  weakness, 
to  let  them  know  that  they  prevail  with  him  in  prayer,  not 
by  any  strength  of  their  own,  not  by  any  worthiness  of 
their  prayers,  when  they  have  prayed  best,  but  from  the 
goodness  of  God's  free  grace,  from  the  worthiness  of  Christ's 
intercession,  by  whom  they  offer  up  their  prayers,  and 
from  the  truth  of  his  promise  made  unto  them  that  pray. 
If  it  were  not  thus,  many,  when  they  have  their  heart's  de- 
sire in  prayer,  would  ascribe  all  to  the  goodness  of  their 

*  See  Beveridge's  Private  Thoughts,  a  most  useful  practical  Book 
for  the  young  Christian. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  29 

prayers,  and  not  to  the  free  grace  of  God ;  and  would  be 
proud  of  their  own  strength,  which  is  in  truth  none  at  all." 
I  have  thus  endeavored  to  show  you  the  nature  and  priv- 
ilege of  prayer ;  may  you  be  so  convinced  that  it  is  your 
duty,  as  to  be  desirous  of  farther  instruction  on  this  subject. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  ASSISTANCE  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  PRAYER. 

Suppose  the  case  of  a  calm  at  sea.  The  ship  in  the 
midst  of  the  ocean  is  sometimes  arrested  in  its  progress  by 
a  dead  calm.  Every  sail  is  spread  to  catch  the  dying 
breeze,  but  all  in  vain.  The  vessel  continues  almost  mo- 
tionless on  the  vast  expanse,  or  only  rocked  to  and  fro  by 
t!ie  swell  of  the  sea.  The  mariners  look  out  day  after  day, 
with  longing  eyes,  for  a  favorable  gale  to  carry  them  on- 
ward ;  and  perhaps  when  they  almost  despair  of  attaining" 
It,  then,  in  this  hour  of  need,  the  sea  manifests  in  the  dis- 
tance a  darker  hue,  some  clouds  are  seen  rising  in  the 
horizon,  a  ripple  appears  upon  the  water,  the  sails  begin  to 
fill,  the  wished-for  breeze  springs  up,  the  sea  parts  and 
foams,  and  the  ship  darts  along  to  its  destined  port. 

Tims  it  is  sometimes  with  the  Christian.  lie  needs  the 
breeze  from  above,  and  could  not  without  it  advance  in  his 
course.  Sometimes,  after  using  every  means  of  grace,  his 
soul  seems  motionless  in  the  voyage,  and  his  heart  sighs 
and  longs  for  better  days.  His  sails  are  spread,  he  is  on 
his  way,  longing  and  waiting  for,  and  yet  not  immediately 
receiving,  the  favorable  breath  of  heaven.  It  is  delayed, 
perhaps,  to  show  him  his  own  inability  and  weakness,  that 
he  is  entirely  dependent  on  divine  grace,  and  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  the  free  gift  of  God.  But  he  is  waiting  for  the 
breeze,  and  at  length  the  wind  blows,  every  sail  is  filled, 
every  faculty,  affection,  anc^ower  is  engaged ;  he  proceeds 
rapidly  in  his  course,  and  is  wafted  along  towards  the  de- 
sired haven. 

"  Without  me,"  says  Christ,  "  ye  can  do  nothing."  The 
words  are  full  and  express :  nothing,  nothing  pleasing  to 
God. 

C2 


30  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

We  are  by  nature  averse  to  prayer.  If  prayer  were 
natural  to  us,  we  should  find  no  difficulty  in  having  our 
hearts  engaged  in  an  intercourse  so  advantageous  and  so 
honorable.  But  who  that  has  attempted  this  duty,  has  not 
found  an  averseness  of  heart,  a  distaste  or  disrelish,  when 
about  to  engage  in  secret  prayer  1  The  soul  is  often 
straitened,  shut  up,  and  closed.  Though  the  Christian 
knows  it  to  be  both  his  duty  and  his  privilege  to  pray,  he 
sometimes  finds  an  insuperable  impotency  and  unwilling- 
ness. His  mind  is,  perhaps,  filled  with  worldly  cares  and 
anxieties;  his  affections  are  wandering  after  a  thousand 
vanities,  and  he  finds  it  a  laborious  effort  to  drag  his  soul 
to  the  throne  of  grace. 

We  are  also  ignorant  as  to  the  subjects  of  prayer. — 
"  We  know  not  what  to  pray  for  as  we  ought."*  We  in- 
deed feel  our  misery,  but  are  not  fully  acquamted  either 
with  the  cause  or  the  remedy.  Blind  men  may  be  conscious 
of  the  evil  which  surrounds  them,  but  cannot  see  the  way 
to  avoid  it,  nor  know  how  to  obtain  that  which  will  be  for 
their  good.  If  we  know  at  all  what  to  pray  for,  yet  we 
have  not  adequate  views  of  our  original  depravity,  and  our 
exceeding  sinfulness  and  unbelief;  nor  of  the  fullness  and 
power  of  Christ  the  Savior.  We  do  not  regard  the  glory 
of  God,  but  our  own  ease  and  pleasure.  By  nature  we  love 
outward  good,  and  are  ready  to  ask  in  sickness  for  health, 
in  pain  for  ease,  in  sorrow  for  comfort,  in  poverty  for 
wealth,  in  disregard  and  contempt  for  honor  and  esteem ; 
without  considering  God's  glory,  or  our  eternal  good.  The 
mother  of  Zebedee's  children  asked  for  a  place  of  great 
honor  for  her  sons ;  but  our  Lord  said,  "  Ye  know  not  what 
ye  ask."t  Often  those  things  which  we  are  ready  to  ask 
for,  would,  if  God  were  to  give  them  to  us,  be  our  greatest 
curse. 

Nor,  however  useful  and  valuable  in  themselves,  do 
forms  of  prayer  remedy  our  ignorance.  It  is  one  thing  to 
repeat  a  form  of  prayer  from  a  book,  or  from  memory ;  and 
it  is  another  thing  to  have  the  spirit  of  prayer  in  the  heart 
Two  persons  may  use  the  same^words,  and  one  be  worship- 
ping God  in  spirit  and  in  truth  ;  whilst  the  other  is  draw- 
ing near  to  Him  with  his  lips  only,  and  his  heart  is  far  from 
him. 

*  Rom.  viii.  26.  t  Matt  xi.  22. 


TREATISE   OX    PRAYER.  31 

This  ignorance  in  the  understanding  is  accompanied 
also  with  a  perverseness  in  the  affections.  We  have  that 
carnal  fxilnd  within  us,  which  "  is  enmity  against  God." 
Therefore,  though  we  have  all  knowledge,  though  we  may 
pray,  either  by  the  most  excellent  of  forms,  or  by  the  exer- 
cise of  the  understanding,  our  affections  do  not  naturally 
rise  to  God.  The  matter  of  our  prayer  may  be  good ;  but 
the  Lord  looks  at  the  heart  that  offers  it  up.  Are  your 
prayers  then  offered  up  with  an  humble  and  believing  heart  ? 
are  your  affections  holy  and  heavenly  1  are  your  desires 
ardent  and  steady  ]  or,  do  you  not  often  feel  an  insurmount- 
able languor  oppressing  you ;  so  that,  like  David's,  your 
soul  cleaves  to  the  dust  1 

It  will  make  the  subject  more  plain,  if  we  endeavor  to 
show  the  state  of  the  heart  in  public  worship.  Judging 
only  by  the  outward  expressions  of  penitence  and  contri- 
tion, of  holy  desire,  and  warm  thanksgiving,  of  earnest  in- 
tercession, we  should  say,  What  heavenly  Christians  are 
these !  But  could  we  see  all  that  the  eye  of  God  discerns 
in  the  hearts  of  the  worshippers,  the  vain  thoughts  and  dis- 
tractions, the  earthly  schemes  and  plans  contriving  and 
executing  in  the  midst  of  all  this  apparent  devotion,  what 
a  mockery  would  our  solemn  meetings  be  often  found  to 
be !  the  very  house  of  God  turned  again  into  a  "  den  of 
thieves."*  O  what  a  cold,  wandering,  and  distracted  heart 
is  often  concealed,  under  the  drama,  as  it  were,  of  pure  and 
heavenly  prayers! 

I  have  stated  thus  fully  the  infirmities  and  deficiencies 
connected  with  the  performance  of  this  holy  duty,  in  order 
that  the  absolute  necessity  of  divine  assistance  may  be 
more  clearly  perceived.  Blessed  be  God,  we  need  not  fee 
left  to  ourselves,  under  the  wretchedness  and  ruin  of  our 
fallen  nature.  However  great  and  multiplied  our  infirmi- 
ties, however  dark  our  ignorance,  however  dull  and  dead 
our  hearts,  there  is  a  power  that  can  raise,  support,  enlight- 
en, and  revive. 

The  necessity  of  the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  a 
principle  of  main  and  vital  importance  in  the  Christian 
system;  and  therefore  the  Scriptures  are  very  express 
upon  it. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  plainly  promised  to  the  Church. — 

*  Prov,  V.  14. 


32  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Thus  it  is  foretold,  "  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed, 
and  my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring-."*  "  I  will  put  my 
Spirit  within  you."t  And  our  Lord  evidently  extends  the 
promise  of  the  Spirit  to  all  that  seek  it,  when  he  says,  "  If 
ye,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  chil- 
dren, liow  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him  !"]: 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  promised  for  the  jpurpose  of  assist- 
ing us  in  our  prayers. — That  promise  is  directly  in  point 
— "  I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem,  the  Spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplica- 
tions."^ Again,  the  Apostle  thus  describes  the  experience 
of  Christians — "  The  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities ;  for 
we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought,  but  the 
Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings 
which  cannot  be  uttered."||  Dr.  Owen  observes,  '*that  it 
cannot  be  denied,  that  the  assistance  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
gives  us  in  our  prayers  and  supplications,  is  more  frequently 
and  expressly  asserted  in  the  Scripture,  than  any  other 
operation  of  his  whatever." 

The  Scriptures  also,  when  exciting  us  to  the  duty  of 
prayer,  direct  us  to  pray  through  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Tiius  Jude  says,  (ver.  20, 21,)  ""  praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 
keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God,  looking  for  the  mercy 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life."  St.  Paul  says, 
"  Praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the 
Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance."1[ 

This  aid  of  the  Spirit  in  prayer  is  a  blessing  which  be- 
longs to  all  the  children  of  God.  "  Because  ye  are  sons, 
God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  your  hearts, 
crying,  Abba,  Father.**^  "  Ye  have  received  the  Spirit  cf 
adoption  whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father. "ff 

Indeed,  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  is  the  great  promise  of  the 
New  Testament.  It  is  the  grand  privilege  of  the  Christian 
church,  that,  since  tlie  resurrection  of  Christ,  a  larger 
measure  of  that  Spirit  has  been  given  to  the  people  of  God. 
Jesus  Christ  was  to  baptize  his  people  with  the  Holy  Ghost.|| 
He  told  his  disciples  just  before  his  death,  "It  is  expedient 
for  you  that  I  go  away ;  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter 

*  Isa.  xliv.  3.  t  Ezek.  xxxvi.  27.  t  Luke  xi.  13. 

$  Zech.  xii.  10.  il  Rom.  viii.  26.  IT  Eph.  vi.  18. 

•♦  Gal.  iv.  6.  ft  Rom.  viii.  15.  U  Matt.  iii.  11. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  SS 

will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him 
unto  you."* 

The  sentiments  of  the  church  of  England  on  this  doc- 
trine are  very  clearly  expressed.  Thus  in  the  13th  Article 
it  is  said,  "  Works  done  before  the  grace  of  Christ,  and 
the  inspiration  of  hi^  Spirit,  are  not  pleasant  to  God."  In 
the  Sermon  or  Homily  for  Rogation  week,  it  is  said,  "  that 
we  may  boldly  come  in  prayer,  and  call  upon  Almighty 
God  as  our  Father,  it  is  by  this  Holy  Spirit,  which  maketh 
intercession  for  us  with  continual  sighs."  Hence  we  find 
in  the  Liturgy  various  prayers  expressly  for  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  "  Grant  that  thy  Holy  Spirit  may,  in  all  thmgs, 
direct  and  rule  our  hearts."!  "  Cleanse  the  thoughts  of 
our  hearts  by  the  inspiration  of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  that  we 
may  perfectly  love  thee."|  These,  with  many  other  simi- 
lar passages,  which  might  be  brought,  show  the  mind  of 
our  Reformers  on  this  subject. 

Having  shown  the  necessity  of  the  Spirit's  aid,  I  would 
now  endeavor,  in  some  measure,  to  explain  how  this  aid  is 
given.  The  Scriptures  express  it  generally  under  the 
terms,  "  helpeth  our  infirmities,"  and  "  maketh  interces- 
sion for  us,"  &c. 

The  Holy  Spirit  helps  mir  infirmities. — The  original 
expression  for  *'  helpeth"  {(T\}vavTi\afi(iavzTai)  implies,  that  the 
Spirit  takes  upon  himself  a  large  part  of  the  burden  by 
which  our  infirmity  is  weighed  down,  and  not  only  succors 
us  in  a  slight  degree,  but  eftectually  relieves  us,  by  bear- 
ing himself,  as  it  were,  the  burden  with  us.  "  The  imeige 
is  taken  from  one  who  sets  his  shoulders  and  lifts  with  us 
at  the  same  load.  What  if  it  be  not  said  in  Scripture  that 
we  shall  be  wholly  delivered  in  this  world  from  our  moral 
sicknesses  ]  it  is  sufficient  cause  for  thankfiilness  that  we  are 
effectually  assisted  under  them."  Even  a  renewed  soul 
cannot  of  itself  raise  its  affections  and  desires  after  heavenly 
things.  We  find  the  remains  of  our  corrupt  nature  an 
oppressive  load ;  but  if  we  ask,  and  diligently  seek  for  the 

*  John  xvi.  7.  t  Collect,  19th  Sunday  after  Trinity. 

X  Collect  before  Communion  Service.  See  also  Art.  10, 11  ;  2d 
Collect  at  Evening  Prayer;  5th  Sunday  after  Easter;  13th  after 
Trinity.  The  Petitions,  "  Endue  us  with  the  grace  of  thy  Holy 
Spirit,"— *' Take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from   us,"   teach  the  same 


34  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

aid  of  the  Spirit,  that  burden  under  which  we  are  ready 
to  sink  will  be  removed,  and  our  hearts  raised  in  prayer  to 
God  ;  the  Spirit  will  reiieve  us  in  our  necessities.  Preston, 
in  his  Treatise  called  "  The  Saint's  Exercise,"  thus  illus- 
trates the  subject :  "  A  fountain  has  always  an  aptness  to 
pour  forth  water,  but  cannot  if  it  be  stopped  by  mad,  stones, 
or  other  impediments :  so  in  prayer,  '  the  spirit  is  willing,' 
(to  pray  or  do  other  duties,)  '  but  the  flesh  is  weak.'  Yet 
here  the  Holy  Ghost '  helps  our  infirmities,'  removing'  stop- 
pages from  the  fountain,  taking  away  carnal  impediments, 
and  stirring  up  the  regenerate  part,  whereby  we  are  able 
to  make  a  spiritual  prayer  unto  God." 

"  The  Holy  Spirit  enlightens  the  understanding,  to  show 
us  what  we  need ;  and  sanctifies  th'e  heart,  so  that  we  de- 
sire what  is  really  good  for  us.  He  removes  our  natural 
ignorance  and  blindness.  We  know  not  our  sinfulness  and 
unbelief;  but  the  Holy  Spirit  reproves  or  convinces  the 
world  "  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  in  Christ."*  He 
thus  shows  us  our  great  and  alarming  danger,  and  inclines 
us  earnestly  to  seek  deliverance. 

Our  Lord  says  to  the  Apostles,  '-'■  The  Comforter,  which 
is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name, 
he  shall  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever 
I  have  said  unto  you."t  We  may  therefore  reasonably 
conclude  that  the  Holy  Spirit  acts  upon  our  minds  after 
this  manner,  bringing  the  declarations,  the  threatenings, 
and  the  promises  of  the  word  of  Christ  to  our  recollection ; 
and  thereby  producing  in  us  a  desire  to  obey  his  word,  es- 
cape his  displeasure,  and  obtain  his  favor. 

The  enlightening  and  sanctifying  influences  of  the  Spirit 
are  of  great  importance  as  to  prayer,  being  needful  in  pre- 
paring our  hearts  for  holy  intercourse  with  God,  and  for  de- 
siring those  things  which  will  glorify  Him,  and  really  ben- 
efit our  own  souls. 

We  know  not  what  to  pray  for  as  we  ought.  St.  James 
aflirms,  "  Ye  ask  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss, 
to  consume  it  on  your  lusts."  This  being  so,  "  the  Holy 
Spirit  maketh  intercession  for  us,  according  to  the  will 
of  God."|  He  directs  and  guides  our  minds  to  right 
ends  in  asking,  and  "  the  Lord  knows  the  mind  of  the 

•  John,  ivi.  9.  t  John,  xiv-  26.  i  Rom.  viii.  27. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  SS 

Spirit."    He  approves  and  accepts  the  prayer  made  under 
his  influence. 

The  intercession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  diSers  from  that  of 
Christ.  Our  Lord  intercedes  in  heaven,  separate  and  apart 
from  us,  by  himself  at  the  throne  of  Glory.  The  Holy 
Spirit  intercedes  in,  and  with  our  hearts,  at  the  throne  of 
grace.  The  gift  and  intercession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
fruit  and  effect  of  the  intercession  of  Christ,  who,  "  when 
he  ascended  up  on  high,  led  captivity  captive,  and  re- 
ceived '  this  gift'  for  men,  yea,  even  for  the  rebellious." 

Christians  have,  then,  the  intercession,  the  additional  in- 
terposition of  the  Holy  Spirit;  like  a  powerful  and  able 
advocate,  who  takes  up  our  sinking  cause  ;  urges  our  ne- 
cessities, and  our  pleas,  with  power,  earnestness,  and  per- 
severance ;  and  places  them  with  strong  and  irresistibMi 
effect  in  such  a  light,  that  it  is  evident  the  suit  is  obtained 
and  the  request  granted.  Thus  the  Spirit  maketh  interces- 
sion for  us,  suggesting  to  us,  and  offering  up  in  us,  those 
desires,  arguments,  and  pleas,  which  would  otherwise  never 
have  arisen  in  our  minds. 

"  The  Holy  Spirit,"  says  one  of  the  Reformers,  "  excites 
within  us  confidence,  desires,  and  sighs,  to  the  conception 
t)f  which  our  native  powers  were  altogether  inadequate." 
There  are  pious  persons  of  very  poor  attainments  in  other 
respects,  without  learning  or  human  acquirements,  in  the 
very  lowest  stations  of  life,  who,  asking  for  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  can,  with  the  greatest  propriety  of  expression, 
the  deepest  reverence,  and  an  uninterrupted  fluency  of 
words,  pour  out  their  souls  to  God,  and  edify  their  families 
and  their  neighbors.  Indeed,  have  not  those  who  entirely 
decry  the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  given  to  believ- 
ers in  our  days,  reason  to  fear  lest  they  should  be  guilty,  in 
some  measure,  of  the  sin  of  blasphemy  against  him  ? 

There  is  a  distinction,  not  improperly  made,  between 
the  gift  and  the  graoe  of  prayer,  though  perhaps  the  more 
just  distinction  would  be  between  the  talent  of  elocution 
and  the  spirit  of  prayer.  Some  have  a  natural  or  acquired 
power  of  a  great  command  of  words,  and  a  full  flow  of 
language,  which  enables  them  to  pray  with  facility,  and 
so  far  it  is  very  desirable ;  and  I  hesitate  not  to  say  with 
Dr.  Watts,  that  "  there  is  the  ordinary  assistance  of  the 
Spirit  required,  even  to  the  attamment  of  this  holy  skill  or 
ability  to  pray."    But  men  may  have  this  talent,  and  yet 


36  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

have  none  of  the  real  feeling  of  want,  desire,  resignation, 
peace,  hope,  joy,  &c.  which  form  the  essence  of  true 
prayer,  and  without  which  the  best  expressions  are  of 
little  worth.  The  right  spirit  of  prayer  is  not  merely  to 
be  able  to  press  God  with  the  most  proper  words  and  ur- 
gent vehemence  ;  this  is  talent  and  elocution.  True  prayer 
is  a  higher  thing,  the  special  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  not 
so  much  a  matter  of  the  lips,  as  of  the  heart.  He  has  the 
most  of  this  gift,  who  has;  "the  most  enlightened  appre- 
hension of  the  God  to  whom  he  speaks  :  the  deepest  sense 
of  his  own  wants ;  the  most  eager  longings  after  grace,  the 
most  fervent  desires  of  supplies  from  heaven ;  and,  in  a 
word,  whose  heart  sendc  up  the  strongest  cries  to  the  Fa- 
ther of  Mercies."  Hence  many  may  have  much  of  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  who  have  but  a  small  degree  of  the  power 
of  utterance. 

Much,  indeed,  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  is  secret  We 
know  not  various  particulars  connected  with  it.  We  know 
it  rather  by  its  effects,  than  by  its  mode  of  operation.  "  The 
wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  tlie  sound 
thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  M'hither 
it  goeth ;  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit"  We 
experience  its  power,  and  that  is  sufficient.  The  Chris- 
tian knows  that  he  has  often  knelt  down  averse  to  prayer, 
dead,  dull,  stupid ;  almost  without  desiring  the  blessmgs 
for  which  we  ought  to  ask.  And  yet,  with  all  his  weak- 
ness, after  looking  for  the  aid  of  tiie  Spirit,  after  praying 
as  David  did,  "  Lord,  open  thou  my  lips,  and  my  mouth 
shall  show  forth  thy  praise  ;"*  and  persevering  in  asking, 
seeking,  and  knocking,!  he  has  in  such  a  remarkable  way 
experienced  the  presence  of  God,  as  to  fill  him  with  joy 
unspeakable,  and  a  hope  full  of  glory.  He  has,  in  these 
cases,  sometimes  found  an  unction,  an  enlargement  of  ex- 
pression, so  far  beyond  any  thing  that  he  h£u3  previously 
calculated  on,  or  could  expect,  accompanied  by  such  lively 
and  vehement  desires  and  thirstings  after  God,  and  holiness, 
and  glory,  as  satisfactorily  and  evidently  to  his  mind,  mark- 
ed the  agency  and  assistance  of  a  divine  power  "  which 
maketh  intercession  for  us." 

But  farther,  he  maketh  intercession  "with  groanings 
which  cannot  be  uttered."    I, am  sensible  that  I  am  here 

•P8.U.15.  tMatth.vu.7. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  37 

bringing  a  subject  forward  which  must  be  in  a  great  mea- 
sure unintelligible  (and  may  therefore  appear  absurd)  to 
those  who  have  never  experienced  it ;  but  since  the  sacred 
writings  have  plainly  stated  it,  we  should  neither  conceal 
it,  nor  keep  it  back.  And  conceive  the  case  of  a  mind  truly 
and  fjlly  awakened  to  see  the  shortness  of  time,  the  vanity 
of  wordly  things,  the  unutterable  glory  of  the  blessed,  the 
never-ending  anguish  of  the  condemned,  the  boundless 
ages  of  eternity,  the  uncertainty  of  every  moment,  and  the 
inseparable  connexion  between  obtaining  grace  in  this  life, 
and  glory  in  the  next.  If  we  realize  this  state  of  mind,  we 
may  easily  imagine  that  there  are  such  ardent  thirstings 
wrought  m  the  immortal  soul,  after  pardon,  grace,  Christ, 
heaven,  and  glory,  as  no  words  are  great  or  strong  enough 
to  express.  The  Psalms  of  David  often  manifest  this  state 
of  mind — "  My  soul  fainteth,"  he  says,  "  for  thy  salvation. 
O  Lord,  how  long]  I  am  weary  with  my  groaning."  Here 
we  may  observe  some  of  the  groanings  of  him  in  whom 
the  Spirit  intercedes  ;  but  yet  this  intercession  is  with  such 
importunity  of  desire,  such  holy  pleading  and  wrestling 
with  God,  such  ardor  of  spirit,  such  inward  laboring  and 
working  of  the  heart  toward  God,  as  cannot  be  expressed 
by  words. 

It  may  be  proper,  for  preventing  mistakes,  to  add,  that  it 
is  not  meant  that  we  may  now  receive,  or  expect,  those  ex- 
traordinary gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  enabled  the  early 
Christians  to  pray  in  a  foreign  tongue,  or  suggested  every 
particular  word  or  expression.  Our  prayers  are  not  so  en- 
tirely under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  as,  like  those  of 
David,  to  be  properly  the  work  of  inspiration :  so  much  of 
our  weakness  mingles  with  them,  that  we  cannot  say  of 
any  sentence,  This  is  the  perfect  work  of  the  Spirit.  Every 
feeling,  and  desire,  must  also  be  tried  by  the  sacred  touch- 
stone, the  Word  of  God,  that  we  may  know  whence  it 
comes.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  does  give  those  graces  of  love, 
fear,  hope,  and  joy,  that  are  suited  to  this  duty  ;  does  excite 
holy  desires,  raise  holy  expectations,  and  work  holy  affec- 
tions in  us;  does,  we  are  persuaded,  often  secretly  in- 
cline our  minds  to  pray,  and  help  us  in  praying,  giving  us 
clear  perceptions,  a  ready  utterance,  and  an  humble  confi- 
dence ;  and  this  aid  is  totally  distinct  from  and  superior  to 
that  general  aid,  which  the  providence  of  God  affords  to 
men  in  general,  in  order  to  their  performance  of  the  va.- 
D 


38  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

rious  actions  of  their  natural  life.  "  The  workings  of  the 
Spirit  are  not  indeed,"  says  Watts,  "  to  be  easily  dis- 
ting-uishcd  by  ourselves,  or  by  others,  from  the  rational 
motions  of  our  own  hearts,  influenced  by  moral  argu- 
ments ;  but  by  the  whole  tendency,  and  the  sanctifying  ef- 
fects, we  may  know  that  we  had  some  assistance  of  the 
blessed  Spirit." 

Some  mistake  in  another  way,  supposing  that  men  should 
never  attempt  to  pray  but  when  they  feel  the  present  im- 
pulse of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  in  reply  it  may  be  observed, 
that  w^e  are  commanded  to  pray  always.  Go  forward  in 
the  duty,  and  you  may  expect  difficulties  to  be  removed. 
Neglect  not  any  proper  season  of  prayer ;  nor,  on  the  other 
hand,  neglect  any  duty  of  your  station  under  the  pretence 
of  an  impulse  to  pray.  The  Holy  Spirit  draws  us  to  God  at 
fit  seasons. 

We  are  not  in  danger  of  quenching,  or  grieving,  the 
Spirit  by  the  humble  and  diligent  use  of  the  means  of  grace ; 
but  there  is  much  danger  in  losing  this  heavenly  guest  by 
the  indulgence  of  any  sin,  and  especially  of  any  sensual 
iniquity.*  "  Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and 
the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you  1"  O  defile  not  that  tem- 
ple, provoke  not  that  Spirit ;  live  in  the  Spirit,  and  then 
you  will  pray  in  the  Spirit. 

Having  thus  guarded  against  some  mistakes,  let  it  be  re- 
marked, what  a  comfort  it  is  that  there  is  an  express  prom- 
ise that  "  our  heavenly  Father  will  give  his  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  him."  You  need  not  then  fear,  however  dull, 
or  dead,  or  cold  your  heart  may  be,  to  set  about  this  duty. 
Seek,  and  you  may  fully  expect  to  obtain,  that  aid  of  the 
Spirit,  which  will  help  you,  and  carry  you  through  all  your 
difficulties.  Bo  diligent  in  reading  the  Bible,  in  coming  to 
the  Savior,  and  in  earnest  entreaties  for  the  influence  of  his 
Spirit.  If  you  would  obtain  much  of  this  divine  influence, 
live  near  to  your  Lord  who  gives  it.t 

♦Ps.li.ll.  t  John,  xiv.  16, 17. 


A   TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  39 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  INTERCESSION  OF  JESUS  CHRIST. 

You  Iiave  now  seen  how  the  Holy  Spirit  assists  us  in 
prayer ;  his  aid,  and  the  acceptance  of  our  prayers,  are  ob- 
tained through  the  intercession  of  Jesus  Christ.  While 
the  Bible  tells  us  that  Jesus  Christ  is  "  God  over  all  bless- 
ed for  ever  ;"  it  discovers  to  us  also  hLs  mediatorial  king- 
dom. It  tells  us  that  "  there  is  one  Mediator  between  God 
and  man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus."*  "  Him  hath  God  exalted 
as  a  Prince  and  a  Savior,"  to  give  many  blessed  gifts  to 
his  people. 

The  first  fruit  of  his  ascending  up  on  high,  was  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  St.  Peter  shows  us  that  the  prophet  Joel 
had  foretold  that  full  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which 
took  place  on  the  ascension  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  these  words 
— "  and  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  tiie  last  days,  saith  God,  I 
will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh."  And  after  describ- 
ing other  effects  of  this,  he  says,  "  And  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  nam.e.  of  tlie  Lord 
shall  be  saved."  Our  L/ord  also  tells  his  disciples  that  he 
will  pray  for  this  gift :  he  says,  "  I  will  pray  the  Father, 
and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide 
with  you /or  ever."f  The  gift  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  inter- 
cession of  Christ,  are  thus  connected  together  in  the  sacred 
writings. 

It  is  unnecessary  here  to  enter  on  a  description  of  this  in- 
tercession in  all  its  bearings :  it  will  be  sufficient  chiefly  to 
dwell  on  it  in  reference  to  our  prayers. 

The  intercession  of  Christ  is  his  earnest  address  to  God 
in  behalf  of  those  for  whom  he  prays.  In  order  the  better 
to  understand  this,  consider,  the  office  which  he  bears  as 
our  High  Priest. — The  High  Priest  of  Israel  had  to  burn 
incense,  in  the  holy  place  on  the  altar  of  incense,  morning 
and  evening  perpetually  throughout  the  year.f  And  he 
was  once  a  year  to  appear  in  the  holy  of  holies,  alone,  to 
sprinkle  blood  upon  and  before  the  mercy-seat ;  to  make  an 
atonement  for  himself,  for  his  household,  and  for  all  the 

*  1  Tim.  ii.  5.  t  John  xiv  16  t  Exod.  xxx.  7,  8 


40  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

congregation  of  Israel*  The  Apostle  shows  us  that  this 
was  typical  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  "  is  not  entered  into  the 
holy  place  made  with  hands,  which  are  figures  of  the  true  : 
but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God 
for  us."t  And  he  points  out  the  superior  advantage  of  this 
priesthood  on  account  of  the  holy  character  and  the  endur- 
ing continuance  of  our  High  Priest :  "  Wherefore,"  he  says, 
"  he  is  able  also  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come 
unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  inter- 
cession for  them/'J  While  his  "  people  are  praying  with- 
out," ||  our  High  Priest  is  interceding  within,  and  offering 
up  our  prayers. 

Indeed,  other  offices  which  Christ  bears,  are  full  of  com- 
fort in  our  approaches  to  God.  He  is  "  the  Way,  the  Truth, 
and  the  Life,"  by  whom  we  go  to  the  Father.  He  is  "a 
Prophet"  to  teach  us  to  pray,  and  "  a  King  wiio  shall  deliver 
the  needy  when  he  crieth  ;  the  poor  also,  and  him  that 
hath  no  helper." 

Consider,  then,  his  redemption — ]\Ian  was  afar  off  from 
God,  guilty,  and  under  the  penalty  of  that  sentence,  "  The 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die !"  How  was  the  mercy  of  God 
to  bo  displayed,  and  his  justice  remain  unsullied  ]  By  the 
death  of  the  holy  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  his  justice  is  satis- 
fied and  engaged  on  the  sinner's  side :  so  that  his  mercy 
may  flow  to  sinners  in  copious  and  uninterrupted  streams. 
The  divine  Jove  has  its  brightest  displays,  in  being  mani- 
fested towards  the  unworthy ;  and  the  Almighty  arm  is  now 
stretched  forth  to  save,  and  not  to  destroy  the  sinful.  All 
the  perfections  of  God  being  engaged  on  the  sinner's  side, 
the  intercession  of  Him  who  has  accomplished  this,  will 
evidently  prevail.  The  sinner  may  now  be  received  as  a 
child  returning  to  a  reconciled  Father.  Here,  then,  and 
here  only,  is  the  true  ground  of  encouragement  for  us  to 
draw  near  with  confidence  to  the  holy  God. 

Consider  the  situation  of  the  Intercessor.  He  is  "at  the 
right  hand  of  God."^  We  may  learn  hence  his  power,  his 
dignity,  his  holiness,  his  interest  with  God,  and  his  being 
ever  present  in  heaven  for  us.  "  All  power  is  given  him  in 
heaven  and  earth."^  "  All  things  go,"  says  Bishor  Hop- 
'rins,  "  by  favor  and  friendship  in  the  courts  of  heaven ;  if 

*  Lev.  xvi.  14—17.  t  Heb.  ix.  24.  J  Heb.  vn.  25. 

U  Luke  i.  10.  §  Rom.  viii.  34.  II  Matt,  xxviii.  1& 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  4J 

v/e  stand  upon  our  own  merits  and  deserts,  we  shall  be 
>  hamefully  disappointed  in  our  expectations :  we  have  no 
laerit  to  take  place  in  heaven,  but  only  the  merit  of  the 
LK)rd  Jesus  Christ.'"^  All !  how  absurdly  do  they  act,  who, 
v'hen  such  an  Intercessor  pleads  for  us,  put  their  cause  into 
C  le  hands  of  any  creature,  saint,  or  ang-el. 

Consider  his  character.  He  is  the  beloved  Son  of  God, 
*'•  the  elect  in  whom  his  soul  delighteth/'f  He  is  "  holy, 
iiarmless,  undefiled,  separate  from  sinners,  and  made  higher 
t.ian  the  heavens."];  And  with  all  this,  he  is  full  of  com- 
passion, tenderness,  and  love,  "  We  have  not  an  High 
I'riest  which  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  in- 
f  rmities,  but  was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet 
V/ithout  sin."ll  He  is  one  who  can  have  compassion  on  the 
1  ^orant,  and  on  tliem  that  are  out  of  the  way.  Seeing, 
ttien,  that  we  have  such  a  great,  such  a  compassionate 
'-  High  Priest,  that  is  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus,  the 
^km  of  God,  let  us  come  boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace, 
\  hat  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time 
^f  need."^ 

Consider,  farther,  the  nature  of  his  Intercession.  St.  John 
seems  to  give  us  an  emblematic  view  of  this:^  "And 
another  angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar,  having  a  golden 
censer ;  and  there  was  given  unto  him  much  incense,  that 
he  should  offer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all  saints  upon  the 
golden  altar  which  was  before  the  throne.  And  the  smoke  of 
the  incense  which  came  with  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  as- 
cended up  before  God  out  of  the  angel's  hand."  Even  the 
prayers  of  the  saints  are  so  defective,  that  they  need  the 
incense  of  our  Redeemer's  merit  to  make  them  acceptable 
into  God. 

Jesus  Christ  intercedes  by  personally  appearing  for  us 
i&fore  God.  In  heaven  itself  he  now  appears  "in  the 
)resence  of  God  for  us.  This  man,  after  he  had  offered  one 
jacrifice  for  sin,  for  ever  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of 
jrod."**  "  By  his  own  blood  he  entered  in  once  into  the 
loly  place."fir  The  virtue,  merit,  and  power  of  that  blood 
jtill  remain.     How  sure  may  we  be,  then,  that  he  will  ob- 

*  See  Bishop  Hopkins's  Works,  a  most  valuable  body  of  Divinity 
t  Isa.  xlii.  1.  t  Heb.  vii.  26.  ||  Heb.  iv.  15. 

§  Heb.  iv.  16.  IT  Rev.  viii.  3,  4.  **  Heb.  x.  12. 

tt  Heb.  ix.  12. 

D2 


42  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

tain  what  he  asks,  when  he  pleads  that  he  died  to  procure 
it !  He  ascended  into  heaven  with  the  body  in  which  he 
suffered ;  and  we  may  imagine,  when  he  makes  interces- 
sion, that  body  silently  and  yet  powerfully  urges  his  plea 
in  our  behalf.  Hence,  St.  John,  who  saw  the  glory  of  the 
inner  temple  of  God,  says,  "I  beheld,  and  lo,  in  the  midst 
of  the  throne,  stood  a  lamb  as  it  had  been  slain."  This  view 
of  tlie  subject  has  been  well  illustrated  by  the  story  of 
Amyntas  and  JEchylas  related  by  the  historian  ^lian. 
iEchylas  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  Athenians,  and 
was  about  to  be  led  to  execution.  His  brother  Amyntas 
had  signalized  himself  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and 
on  the  day  of  a  most  illustrious  victory,  in  a  great  measure 
obtained  by  liis  means,  had  lost  his  hand.  He  came  into 
the  court,  just  as  his  brother  was  condemned,  and  without 
saying  any  thing,  exposed  the  stump  of  his  arm  from  under 
his  garment,  and  held  it  up  in  their  sight ;  and  the  historian 
tells  us,  "  that  when  the  judges  saw  this  mark  of  his  suffer- 
ings, they  remembered  what  he  had  done,  and  for  his  sake 
discharged  the  guilty  brother,  whose  life  had  been  forfeited." 
The  wounded  body  of  the  Savior,  though  there  may  remain 
no  visible  marks  of  his  humble  state,  is,  in  the  sight  of 
God,  thus  perpetually  pleading  for  his  sinful  and  guilty 
brethren.  Not  that  God  the  Father  is  severe,  austere,  diffi- 
cult to  be  entreated,  or  hard  to  be  won :  this  would  be  a 
very  mistaken  view  of  him  whose  name  is  Love.  The 
Father  appoints  this  way  of  approach  in  infinite  compassion 
and  love  to  us,  that  we  may  "  come  boldly  unto  the  throne 
of  grace  :"*  and  though  his  holiness  be  such  that  he  can- 
not endure  the  approach  of  sinners  without  a  Mediator,  yet 
it  was  his  own  iree  grace  which  moved  him  to  provide  a 
Mediator,  and  disposes  him  to  accept  his  mediation  in  our 
behalf  Hence  the  Father  himself  is  represented  as  willing 
to  hear  us,  when  we  pray  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Thus  our 
Lord  says  to  his  disciples,t  "  At  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name,  and  I  say  not  unto  you  tliat  I  will  pray  the  Father 
for  you,  for  the  Father  himself  loveth  you." 

Jesus  Christ  intercedes  for  his  people  by  praying  for 
them.  Does  he  see  them  exposed  to  the  just  vengeance  of 
the  holy  almighty  God  ]  Is  the  sentence  gone  forth,  "  Cut 
it  down,  why  cumbereth  it  the  ground  ?"  he  prays,  *'  Let  it 

*  Heb.  iv.  16.  t  John  xvi.  2?,  27. 


A   TREATISE   ON   PRAYER.  43 

alone  this  year  also,  and  I  will  dig  about  it,  and  dung  it, 
and  if  it  bear  fruit,  well ;  but  if  not,  after  that  thou  shalt 
cut  it  down."*  Are  any  of  his  disciples  exposed  to  peculiar 
temptations  and  dangers,  so  that  it  may  be  said  of  them,  as 
it  was  of  Peter,  "  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you  that  he 
may  sitl  you  as  wheat  ]"  he  adds,  "  But  I  have  prayed  for 
thee  that  thy  faith  fail  noff  Indeed,  we  could  never  pray 
ourselves,  we  could  never  approach  unto  God  so  as  to  be 
accepted  of  him,  but  through  the  intercession  of  Christ. 
"  No  man,"  saith  our  Lord,  "  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but 
by  me."|:  By  his  prayers  we  receive  the  Holy  vSpirit,^  and 
many  other  spiritual  blessings.  In  the  17th  of  John,  you 
have  a  delightful  specimen  and  example  of  the  prayers 
which  Jesus  our  Lord  himself  makes  for  his  people. 

Jesus  Christ  also  offers  up  our  prayers. — It  was  the 
office  of  the  Jewish  priests  to  present  the  prayers  of  Israel 
unto  God  at  the  time  they  burned  incense  before  the  liOrd 
on  the  altar.  And  thus  our  High  Priest,  by  his  own  inter- 
cession, makes  even  our  poor  and  imperfect  sighs  and  groans 
prevailing  and  effectual.  The  very  best  prayers  we  make, 
even  when  aided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  our  God,  are  so 
tainted  with  our  sins,  and  so  mingled  with  our  imperfec- 
tions, as  to  need  his  mediation  for  their  acceptance.  He 
has  assured  us,||  "Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in 
my  name,  he  will  give  it  you ;  ask,  and  ye  shall  receive, 
that  your  joy  may  be  full."  This  name  of  Christ  enabled 
those  who  used  it,  through  faith  in  his  name,  to  work  mira- 
cles, cast  out  devils,  speak  with  new  tongues,  and  oppose 
and  overcome  Satan,  the  world,  and  the  flesh ;  and  by  it 
we  shall  assuredly  prevail  in  all  our  petitions.  Our  persons 
and  our  prayers  are  accepted  of  God,  in  and  by  Jesus 
Christ.  II 

It  is  delightful  to  consider  further,  that  the  intercession 
of  our  Lord  is  all  in  our  behalf,  It  is  said  of  the  prophet 
Elijah,  "Elias  made  intercession  to  God  against  Israel." 
"  He  was,"  says  Trail,  "  a  severe  prophet,  and  had  severe 
service  put  into  his  hand ;  but  our  great  Prophet  and  High 
Priest  makes  no  intercession  against  his  Israel,  but  all  for 
them."    In  that  pattern  of  what  he  is  doing,**  we  may  ob- 

*  Luke  xiii.  8,  9.  t  Luke  xxii.  .32.        t  John  xiv.  6. 

§  John  xiv.  16.  H  John  xvi.  23.  V  Eph.  i.  6 ;  1  Pet.  ii.  5. 

**  John  xvii 


44  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

serve  that  he  mentions  not  one  fault  of  his  di-scifles,  but 
Belects  what  was  good  in  their  conduct,  and  then  pleads 
their  cause.  Let  us  see  in  this  his  love ;  let  us  trust  him 
entirely. 

The  intercession  of  Christ  is  an  enduring  act  of  mercy. 
His  grace  and  love  never  fail.  It  is  said,*  "He  ever  liveth 
to  make  intercession."  Therefore  the  Apostle  adds,  "He 
is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost."  We  need  not  fear  that 
we  are  now  too  late  to  obtain  the  advantages  of  it.  He  in- 
tercedes for  his  church  now,  as  he  did  in  the  days  of  his 
flesh.f 

It  is  also  an  intercession  for  sinners. — It  was  foretold  of 
him,  "  He  bore  the  sin  of  many,  and  made  intercession  for 
the  transgressors.]:  Hence  he  prayed  even  for  his  mur- 
derers. When  they  had  taunted  and  reviled  him,  and 
nailed  him  to  the  accursed  tree,  he  still  prays,  "  Father, 
forgive  them."  And  there  is  a  special  intercession  for  his 
people,  which  may  greatly  encourage  believers.  St.  Paul 
says,  "  who  also  maketh  intercession  for  us."^  The  con- 
nexion here  shows  him  to  mean  God's  peculiar  people; 
hence  our  Lord  says,|l  "  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  for 
them  which  thou  hast  given  me,  for  they  are  thine."  Au- 
gustine says,  "  Christian  men  in  their  prayers  mutually  re- 
commend each  other  to  the  divine  regard.  That  person  for 
whom  no  one  intercedes,  while  he  intercedes  for  all,  is  the 
true  and  only  mediator." 

I  have  stated  thus  fully  and  plainly,  from  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, the  doctrine  of  the  intercession  of  Jesus  Christ,  be- 
cause it  is  not  only  a  most  delightful  truth  to  those  who 
feel  the  burden  of  their  sins,  but  is  highly  profitable  to  us 
when  duly  improved.  To  this  end  it  should  be  considered 
before,  at  the  time  of,  and  after,  your  prayers. 

Before  prayers.  Make  it  the  only  ground  of  your  en- 
couragement to  draw  near  to  God.  Do  not,  on  the  one 
hand,  trust  in  any  preparation  which  you  may  have  made, 
or  in  any  dispositions  which  you  may  have  acquired ; 
and  on  the  other  hand,  whatever  your  former  transgres- 
sions,1T  or  aggravated  wickedness,  may  have  been,**  or 
whatever  is  the  conviction  of  your  present  sinfulness,!!  or 

*  Heb.  vii.  25.  t  John  xvii.  20,  24.  t  Isa.  liii.  12. 

$  Rom.  viii.  34.  ||  John  xvii.  9.  IT  Ps.  xxv.  7. 

**  Ps.  xxv.  11 ;  Ixxix.  8, 11.        tt  Jo-  xiv.  7. 


A   TREATISE   ON   PRAYER.  45 

your  indisposition  to  approach  God,  still  endeavor  to  come 
with  freedom,  knowing-  that  you  "  have  an  advocate  with 
the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous ;  and  he  is  the  pro- 
pitiation for  our  sins."* 

At  the  time  of  prayer.  Let  the  intercession  of  Christ 
encourage  you.  i!xpect,  through  his  mediation,  the  spirit 
of  grace  and  supplication.f  By  the  exercise  of  faith,  how- 
ever weak,  still  expect  to  receive,  "  out  of  his  fullness, 
grace,"  suited  to  our  necessity  However  great  the  mat- 
ter for  which  you  ask,  however  many  things  in  yourself 
may  tend  to  discourage  or  discomfort  you ;  you  have  a  suffi- 
cient ground  to  hope  for  the  acceptance  of  your  prayers, 
through  the  name  and  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ.  His 
gracious  intercession  remains  firm  and  unchangeable.  Let 
faith  in  Christ's  merits  quiet  and  compose  your  troubled 
mind,  and  dispose  and  strengthen  you  to  leave  every  peti- 
tion with  comfort  and  confidence  in  his  hands. 

After  prayer.  However  conscience  may  accuse  you  of 
many  wanderings,  imperfections,  and  distractions,  or  abuses 
of  former  answers  to  prayer,  or  however  earnest  or  fervent 
your  petitions,  still  plead  for  acceptance  only  on  this  ground, 
Christ  is  your  mediator.  Your  hope  of  a  favorable  recep- 
tion of  any  prayer  is,  and  is  only,  in  the  name  and  work 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  in  your  own  prayers.  A  practical 
writer  observes,  "  If  we  cast  our  anchor  on  Christ,  and  rest 
upon  his  merits,  and  intercession,  in  order  to  the  receiving 
of  an  answer  to  our  prayer,  we  shall  have  a  sufficient  hold 
to  keep  us  sure  and  stedfast,  in  the  midst  of  the  tossing 
waves  of  this  world.  By  this  we  may  answer  all.  Christ  is 
faithful,  and  a  tender  sympathizing  High  Priest,  and  so  will 
not,  and  cannot  forget  or  neglect  our  cause."| 

"He,"  says  Ambrose,  "  is  our  mouth,  with  which  we  ad- 
dress the  Father ;  our  eye,  by  which  we  behold  him ;  our 
hands,  by  which  we  present  ourselves  to  him:  without 
whose  mediation  neither  we,  nor  any  of  all  the  saints,  have 
tiie  least  intercourse  with  God." 

*  1  John  ii.  1. 2.  t  Zech.  xii.  10. 

X  Brown  on  Prayer:  an  author  to  whom  the  writer  has  been  often 
indebted. 


16  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER- 

CHAPTER  V. 
ON  PRIVATE  PRAYER. 

It  is  observed  by  Dr.  Owen,  "  that  if  a  man  of  a  carnal 
mind  be  brought  into  a  large  company,  he  will  have  much 
to  do ;  if  into  a  company  of  Christians,  he  will  feel  little 
interest ;  if  into  a  still  smaller,  engaged  in  religious  exer- 
cises, he  will  feel  still  less ;  but  if  taken  into  a  closet,  and 
forced  to  meditate  on  God  and  eternity,  this  will  be  insup- 
portable to  him."  Man  is  evidently  by  nature  averse  to  all 
communion  with  God.  There  is  an  enmity  to  be  removed.* 
And  hence  arises  tlie  necessity  of  a  change  of  mind  ;  of  ob- 
taining "  a  spiritual  mind,"  without  which,  spiritual  truths 
and  exercises  can  neither  engage  nor  influence  the  heart. 
The  man  who  possesses  a  spiritual  mind,  does,  through  the 
grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  often  find  that  closet  retirement, 
which  Dr.  Owen  states  to  be  so  insupportable  to  the  carnal 
mind,  a  real  privilege. 

The  duty  of  prayer  generally  has  already  been  proved ; 
and  that  of  closet  devotion  is  plain  from  our  Lord's  direc- 
tion.! I^-et  us  endeavor,  however,  always  to  consider  it  as 
an  advantage  afibrded  to  us,  rather  than  as  a  work  required 
of  us. 

Baxter  well  expresses  this  :|  "  What  delightful  converse 
may  a  Christian  have  with  God  alone !  He  is  always 
present,  always  .at  leisure  to  be  spoke  with,  always  easy  of 
access.  He  has  no  interest  that  will  clash  with  our  hap- 
pmess.  He  never  mistakes  our  meaning  nor  our  charac- 
ter. In  proportion,  indeed,  as  any  thing  of  God  appears  in 
men,  their  converse  is  excellent  and  delightful.  But  there 
is  so  much  of  vanity  and  sin  in  all  of  us,  as  exceedingly 
darkens  our  light,  and  damps  the  pleasure,  and  blasts  the 
profit  of  our  mutual  converse.  How  often  have  I  been  de- 
lighted in  God,  when  I  have  found  most  deceit  and  dark- 
ness in  the  world !  How  often  has  he  comforted  me,  when 
it  was  not  in  man  to  do  it ! " 

In  order  to  have  a  fuller  view  of  secret  prayer,. we  will 

*  Horn.  \iii.  1.  ^  Man.  vi.  6. 

t  See  his  excellcat  little  Trad,  "  Converse  with  God  in  Solitude." 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  47 

consider  it  under  different  sections,  as  it  is  distinguished 
from  other  kinds  of  worship ;  as  it  respects  the  object  of 
worship ;  the  subjects  to  be  mentioned ;  the  use  of  forms, 
the  various  parts,  the  answer,  the  frequency,  and  the  re- 
ward of  prayer.  After  dwelhng'  on  these  particulars  in 
this  chapter,  we  may  afterwards  be  the  more  brief  in  re- 
marks on  other  kinds  of  prayer. 

Sect.  I. — On  Secret  Prayer,  as  distinguished  from  other 
kinds  of  worship. 

There  are  some  things  in  which  secret  prayer  has  an 
advantage  over  social  and  public  worship.  By  prayintr  in 
secret  we  give  God  the  glory  of  his  being  everywhere 
present,  and  seeing  and  knowing  all  things.  We  acknow- 
ledge not  only  his  general  providence,  as  taking  care  of 
communities ;  but  his  particular  providence,  as  watching 
over  us  individually.  We  express  our  faith  in  his  presence, 
his  power,  and  his  love. 

The  Christian  can  also  in  secret  give  free  vent  to  every 
desire ;  vary  his  request  according  to  the  present  state  of 
his  mind,  or  the  present  necessities  of  the  day  or  hour  in 
which  he  is  living ;  he  can  dwell  on  his  personal  wants ; 
and,  in  short,  give  full  scope  to  his  feelings,  and  pour  out 
his  whole  soul  before  God,  with  a  freedom  that  he  would 
not  before  his  dearest  friend. 

Prayer  in  secret  is  also  considered  by  our  Lord  as  form- 
ing a  line  of  distinction  between  the  Christian  and  the 
mere  professor.  "  When  thou  prayest  thou  shalt  not  be  as 
the  hypocrites,  for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in  the  syna- 
gogues, and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be 
seen  of  men."*  When  we  are  constant  in  secret  prayer, 
not  as  an  act  of  self-righteousness,  but  from  a  feeling  of  ne- 
cessity, and  of  its  being  both  our  duty  and  privilege,  we 
may  hope  well  of  our  smcerity,  and  of  the  general  state  of 
our  souls  before  God. 

Other  advantages  of  secret  prayer,  will  be  noticed  after- 
wards. But  It  must  not  be  concealed,  that  there  are  pecu- 
liar difficulties  in  constant  and  fervent  secret  prayer.  We 
have  many  adversaries  opposing  us.  We  are  by  nature 
both  reluctant  to  the  duty,  and  utterly  helpless  and  insuffi- 
cient in  ourselves.  We  can  do  nothing  by  our  own  strength ; 

*  Matt.  vi.  5. 


48  A   TREATISE   ON   PRAYER. 

though  we  may  '  do  all  things  by  Christ  strengthening  us." 
And  besides  the  oppositions  of  a  corrupt  nature  within,  the 
temptations  of  the  world  without  continually  draw  and  al- 
lure us  from  the  practice  of  this  duty.  Our  great  enemy, 
Satan,  also,  uses  every  temptation  to  keep  us  from  secret 
prayer.  Hence,  though  it  is  a  most  evident  and  needful, 
as  well  as  profitable  duty,  yet  it  is  one  which  it  is  not  easy 
with  constancy  and  effect  to  fulfil.  We  do  not  find  it  so 
difficult  to  read  the  Bible,  go  to  Church,  or  hear  sermons, 
as  we  do  to  persevere  in  constant,  fervent,  and  believing 
private  prayer.  "  It  is  easier,"  says  one,  *'  to  hear  a  whole 
hour,  than  to  pray  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour."  "  When," 
says  another,  "  we  have  overcome  the  difficulties  at  one 
time,  it  may  be  the  next  day  we  shall  meet  with  new  con- 
flicts, new  distempers,  new  afflictions,  new  strength  of 
lusts,  and  a  new  indisposition  of  mind,  against  which  we 
must  put  on  a  strong  and  unalterable  resolution ;  as  that 
holy  man  who  said,  he  never  went  to  pray  but  he  found  so 
many  impediments,  that  except  he  so  bound  himself  by  a 
firm  determination,  he  could  never  have  been  constant,  or 
kept  himself  from  formal  or  customary  performance."  Let 
it  then  encourage  us  to  consider,  that  nothing  so  effectually 
as  prayer  impairs  the  kingdom  of  darkness,  and  hinders  the 
success  of  our  adversary.  It  is  a  just  and  excellent  obser- 
vation, that  continuing  in  prayer  will  make  a  man  give 
over  sinning,  or  else,  continumg  in  sin  will  make  him  give 
over  praying. 

The  retirement  of  private  prayer  specially  distinguishes 
it ;  and  our  Lord  has,  in  a  few  words,  fully  stated  to  us  its 
true  character  in  this  respect — "  Thou,  when  thou  prayest, 
enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door, 
pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret,  and  thy  Father, 
which  seeth  in  secret,  shall  reward  thee  openly."  The 
principle  which  is  here  inculcated  is,  the  avoiding  of  all 
show  in  your  religion,  any  thing  that  might  foster  vain 
glory,  or  appear  to  proceed  from  it.  In  actions  done  in 
public,  the  opinions  and  thoughts  of  others  are  apt  to  have 
an  undue  weight  and  influence  upon  our  minds.  Our  Lord 
is  not  here  speaking  against  public  or  social  worship,  which 
he  elsewhere  commands  ;*  but  is  exposing  the  vain  show 

*  Matt,  xviii.  20. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  49 

and  hypocrisy  of  mere  professors,  "  having  a  form  of  godli- 
ness without  the  power." 

That  those  who  are  here  addressed  do  pray  is  taken  for 
granted  :  the  duty  is  manifest  and  unquestionable ;  and  the 
mode  of  our  Lord's  expression  may  imply,  that  a  Christian's 
living  without  prayer  is  a  contradiction  in  terms. 

The  retirement  of  private  devotion  is  strongly  inculcated 
in  the  expression,  "  Enter  into  thy  closet."  Retire  from 
company.  Go  by  thyself  Be  alone.  The  word,  ra^iuov, 
(closet)  means  any  retired  solitary  place,  at  home  or 
abroad,  where  we  may  escape  from  the  observation  of 
others,  and  be  undisturbed  by  them ;  not  that  the  closet  it- 
self possesses  any  sanctity,  or  will  work  in  the  way  of  a 
charm.  You  are  not  to  go  into  your  closet  on  that  account ; 
but  you  retire  from  the  notice  of  others  to  avoid  ostentation 
on  the  one  hand,  and  distraction  on  the  other.  "  Shut  thy 
door."  Keep  out  the  world,  and  prevent  every  intrusion : 
thou  hast  a  great  business  to  transact  wuth  thy  God,  and 
let  not  the  dearest  friend  or  relative  interfere  with  thy  in- 
tercourse and  converse  with  him.  The  privacy  of  prayer 
is  the  great  tiling  which  is  here  enforced.  Poor  persons 
v/ho  have  but  one  apartment,  may  enter  into  the  spirit  of 
this  direction  by  praying  wherever  they  can  be  retired. 
Isaac's  closet  was  a  field.  "  He  went  out  to  meditate  in 
tlie  field  at  even-tide."*  David's  closet  was  his  bed-cham- 
ber. "  Commune  with  your  own  heart  upon  your  bed,  and 
be  still."f  Our  Lord's  closet  was  a  mountain.  "  When 
he  had  sent  the  multitude  away,  he  went  up  into  a  moun- 
tain apart  to  pray,  and  when  the  evening  was  come,  he 
was  there  alone."|  Peter's  closet  was  the  house-top. 
*'  Peter  went  upon  the  house-top  to  pray,  about  the  sixth 
hour."§  Hezekiah's  closet  was  turning  "  his  face  towards 
tlie  wall,  and  praying  unto  the  Lord."  || 

But  there  is  a  re  tiredness  of  heart  and  a  self-recollection 
which  is  of  greater  importance  than  any  particular  place 
of  prayer.  This  is  the  fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  has 
already  been  shown ;  let  us  then  continually  look  for  and 
solely  depend  on  his  aid,  which  alone  can  enable  us  to 
give  our  whole  hearts  to  this  great  work.  Some  have 
found  it  a  happy  means  of  assisting  in  gaming  self-recol- 
»      ■  - 

*  Gen.  xxiv.  63.  t  Ps.  iv.  4.  X  Matt.  xiv.  23 

$  Acta,  X.  9.  II  Isa.  xixiii.  2. 


50  A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER. 

lection,  to  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  pray.  "  We  must," 
says  Bonnel,  "  shut  all  other  businesses  from  our  minds  at 
tliat  time,  and  say,  I  have  nothing  to  do  this  lialf  hour,  but 
to  wait  on  my  God.  For  if  we  determine  ourselves  no  time, 
but  are  in  haste  to  do  something  else,  as  soon  as  we  have 
done  our  prayers,  it  is  a  great  hazard  if  we  are  recollected 
at  all  during  our  worship." 

Sect.  II. — On  the  Being  to  he  worshipped. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Being  whom  all  men  are  to  woi- 
ship,  must  be  everywhere  present,  have  all  power  and 
know  all  things.  Many  prayers  being  offered  up,  at  the 
same  time,  by  many  persons,  and  for  different  things,  an 
assurance  that  he  possesses  these  attributes  is  necessary, 
in  order  to  our  placing  confidence  in  him,  that  he  will  an- 
swer all,  and  give  to  each  that  which  is  best  in  his  particu- 
lar situation.  Hence  the  absurdity  of  praying  to  Saints 
and  Angels,  or  through  their  mediation. 

God  is  also  infinitely  holy  and  righteous ;  "  a  God  of 
truth  and  without  iniquity,  just  and  right  is  he."*  He  has 
all  means  in  his  control ;  he  is  Lord  of  all  worlds ;  and  he 
has  all  riches  in  liis  possession.  But  when  to  these  perfec- 
tions we  can  add  the  attributes  of  goodness,  tenderness, 
and  love,  we  may  then  have  the  greatest  confidence.  And 
this  is  the  case  with  the  Christian.  He  may  consider  God, 
not  only  as  the  Father  of  the  human  race,  but  as  his  father 
in  a  more  special  relation.  Christians  have  received  "  the 
Spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  they  cry  Abba,  Father :"  they 
are  "  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son.  Like  as 
a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that 
fear  him."f  Jesus  Christ  delights  to  bring  this  relation  be- 
fore us.  He  tells  us,  "  When  ye  pray,  say,  Our  Father, — 
pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret."  Private  prayer  is  the 
soul's  approach  in  its  retirements  to  this  reconciled  Father ; 
to  one  who  has  been  pleased  to  endear  himself  by  so  con- 
descending and  so  kind  a  title.  He  is  "  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven 
and  earth  is  named,"  and  in  him  he  is  ours  also.  Our 
Lord  says  to  Mary,  "  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your 
Father," — first  mine,  and  then  yours.  And  how  graciously 
he  encourages  us  to  bring  our  wants  before  God — "  What 

*  Deut.  xxxii.  4.  t  Ps.  ciii.  13. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  51 

man  is  there  of  you,  whom  if  his  son  ask  bread,  will  he 
give  him  a  stone  J  or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give  him  a 
serpent  I  If  ye,  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  Father, 
which  is  in  heaven,  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask  him  !"* 

In  praying  to  God  the  Father,  w^e  do  not  exclude  the  Son 
and  Holy  Spirit  from  our  worship.  We  should  ever  in- 
clude the  thrice-holy  Jehovah  in  our  adoration. f  In  fact, 
we  cannot  as  Christians  worship  tlie  one  Jehovah,  but  we 
include  in  that  worship  all  the  persons  of  the  sacred  Trin- 
ity; God  is  our  Father  only  in  Christ,  and  we  call  on  him 
as  such.  We  may  however  pray  separately  to  each  person 
of  the  ever-blessed  Trinity,  We  may  pray  to  Jesus  Christ, 
(Luke  xxiii.  42;  Acts  vii.  59;  2  Cor.  xii.  8,  9,)  and  to  the 
Spirit,  (Matt,  xxviii.  9;  2  Cor.  xiii.  14;  Isa.  vi.  3.  9,  com- 
pared with  Acts  xxviii.  25.)  In  worshipping  them,  we  only 
worship  the  one  God ;  yet  the  general  way  of  approaching 
the  Almighty  in  prayer,  is  to  God  the  Father,  through  the 
mediation  of  the  Son,t  and  by  the  aid  of  the  Spirit. 

How  delightful  is  the  relation  subsisting  between  God 
and  the  Christian  as  father  and  child !  The  child  receives 
every  thing  freely  from  paternal  love ;  it  does  not  come  to 
the  father  as  a  purchaser,  or  as  the  merchant  with  an 
equivalent.  When  a  desire  for  any  good  arises  in  the  child's 
mind,  it  does  not  offer  to  buy  it  at  a  price,  but  simply  ex- 
presses its  feelings,  and  asks  it  as  a  gift.  In  its  earliest 
years  the  child  cannot  speak  its  wants  plainly ;  yet  even  in 
infancy,  they  are  made  known  by  looks  and  cries,  and  the 
father  understands  these  expressions  of  its  wishes.  As  the 
child  grows  up,  all  that  the  father  requires  of  it  is  an  affec- 
tionate and  dutifiil  conduct,  a  reverence,  and  honor,  and 
obedience,  totally  distinct  from  slavish  fear,  and  which  in 
effect  only  tends  to  promote  its  real  happiness. 

It  is  under  the  influence  of  these  feelings  that  we  should 
come  to  God;  and  though  w^e  only  learn  to  cry  "Abba, 
Father,"  by  slow  degrees,  let  us  persevere  in  faith  and 
love,  till  we  receive  the  full  Spirit  of  adoption. 

In  worshipping  God,  we  need  not  be  anxious  to  compre- 
hend the  particulars  of  his  nature,  except  as  he  has  re- 
vealed himself^    Beware  of  any  fancifiil  representation  or 

*  Matt.  vii.  9, 10.  t  Isa.  vi.  3 ;  Rev.  iv.  8. 

X  John  xvi.  23.  $  Job  xi.  7. 


52  A    TREATISE    0?f    PRAYER. 

figure  of  him.  All  such  things  only  tend  to  degrade  him 
in  our  minds,  and  to  fill  us  with  unsuitable  ideas  of  hia 
Majesty.  They  are  also  directly  prohibited  in  the  word  of 
God.*  Jesus  Christ  is  our  only  Mediator  and  ground  of 
access  to  God  the  Father;  and  his  Holy  Spirit,  the  pur- 
chase of  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  sent  by  him  to  help  our 
infirmities,  our  great  Assistant.  The  view  we  should  en- 
deavor to  have  of  God,  is  that  which  our  Lord  gives — "  God 
is  a  Spirit:"  and  that  which  was  revealed  to  Moses — "The 
Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering, 
abundant  in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thou- 
sands, forgiving  iniquity,  and  transgressions,  and  sin,  and 
that  will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty."t  Keep  fast  hold 
then  of  this  view  of  the  character  of  God ;  it  is  exactly 
suited  to  the  wants  of  sinners. 

The  consideration  that  the  eye  of  God  is  upon  w.s  that 
our  heavenly  Father  is  in  secret,  and  there  beholds  us, 
should  be  continually  on  our  minds  as  a  motive  for  con- 
tinual watchfulness,  and  a  source  of  the  greatest  comfort. 
"Thou  God  seest  me,"  should  be  written  on  the  vails  of 
our  closet ;  or,  rather,  deeply  engraven  on  our  hearts.  Be- 
fore an  earthly  superior,  we  are  careful  and  circumspect  in 
all  our  expressions  and  actions :  how  careful  then  should 
we  be  when  we  approach  unto  one,  who,  though  he  is  our 
Father,  is  yet  the  King  of  kings,  and  the  Lord  of  lords  1 
"If  an  angel,  in  all  his  heavenly  brightness,  were  to  be 
with  us,  sure  our  hearts  would  feel  awed  by  his  glorious 
presence.  How  much  more  then  should  it  affect  us,  and 
fill  us  with  a  holy  fear,  to  think,  '  I  am  with  God ;  he  is 
present  in  the  room  with  me !  that  God  is  now  about  me, 
whose  glory  stains  and  sullies  the  beauty,  and  extinguishes 
the  light  of  angels !' " 

Rush  not,  hastily,  then,  into  the  presence  of  God.  Pause 
for  a  few  moments.  Meditate  on  his  character.  Consider 
his  goodness,  he  is  "  our  Father :"  consider  his  greatness, 
he  is  "  in  heaven." 

Recollect  the  glorious  Majesty  of  that  Being  whom  you 
address.  He  is  in  heaven,  and  we  are  upon  earth.  It  is 
with  reflections  of  this  kind,  that  David  begins  many  of  his 
Psalms.  Thus  he  says  in  the  104th  Psalm,  "O  Lord,  my 
God,  thou  art  very  great,  thou  art  clothed  with  majesty  and 

*  Deut.  iv.  12—25 ;  Isa.  xl.  18—25.  t  Exod.  xxxiv.  6, 7. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  53 

honor.  Who  coverest  thyself  with  light  as  with  a  garment, 
who  stretchest  out  the  heavens  like  a  curtain,  who  layest 
the  beams  of  his  chamber  in  the  water,  who  maketh  the 
clouds  his  chariot,  who  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wind."  These  recollections  of  his  majesty  are  calculated, 
through  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  bring  your  mind 
to  a  state  of  reverence  and  a  holy  admiration ;  of  solemnity 
and  devotional  feeling.  But  lest  this  view  of  his  awful 
grandeur  should  discourage  you, 

Recollect  his  wonderful  grace  and  mercy.  Ever  look 
at  him  in  Christ  Jesus,  as  a  tender  and  loving  Father ;  as 
full  of  compassion  and  goodness.  How  he  endears  himself 
to  you  by  characters  of  the  utmost  tenderness,  compassion, 
and  love  !  "Tliy  Maker  is  thine  husband,  the  Lord  of  hosts 
is  his  name."*  "  Return,  saith  the  Lord,  for  I  am  married 
to  you,"f  What  aftectionate  wife  will  not  rejoice  in  an  op- 
portunity of  meeting  a  kind  and  faithful  husband  ?  What 
child,  in  a  proper  state  of  mind,  will  not  willingly  run  to 
the  arms  of  a  tender  father  inviting  him  to  come  to  him  ? 
It  is  our  want  of  faith  and  love  that  makes  our  prayers  a 
task  and  a  burden.  How  often  God  invites  us  to  pray !  how 
much  he  promises,  in  order  to  encourage  us  to  come  to  him 
with  a  holy  boldness  and  confidence,  freely  and  unreserved- 
ly !  We  need  not  fear  to  ask,  when  God  himself  commands 
us  to  do  so. 

Sect.  III. — On  the  Subjects  to  be  mentioned  in  Prayer. 

"  The  feeling  of  our  wants,"  says  Mrs.  More,  "  the  con- 
fession of  our  sins,  the  acknowledgment  of  our  dependence, 
the  renunciation  of  ourselves,  the  supplication  for  mercy, 
the  application  to  the  fountain  opened  for  sin,  the  cordial 
entreaty  for  the  aid  of  the  Spirit,  the  relinquishment  of  our 
own  will,  resolutions  of  better  obedience,  petitions  that 
those  resolutions  may  be  directed  and  sanctified :  these  are 
the  subjects  in  which  the  supplicant  should  be  engaged,  by 
which  iiis  thoughts  should  be  absorbed." 

Prayer  being  the  expression  of  the  heart's  desire  to 
God,  we  should,  with  all  simplicity  and  sincerity,  open 
our  hearts  unto  him.  When  you  retire  to  your  devo- 
tions, lay  aside  all  artifice,  all  needless  form,  all  distracting 
anxiety,  and  express  your  desires  with  the  utmost  plainness 
of  speech. 

*  Isa.  liv.  5.  t  Jer.iii.  J2-14. 

E2 


64  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

Consider  before  you  begin,  what  are  those  sins,  which,  if 
you  were  now  on  the  point  of  death,  would  weigh  most  on 
your  conscience,  confess  them,  enlarge  upon  their  circum- 
Btances  and  aggravations,  bewail  them,  and  plead  for  par- 
don through  the  blood  of  Christ.  What  blessing  is  there 
tliat  you  would  desire  above  all  other  things,  if  you  were 
sure  to  have  your  wish "?  Whatever  it  be,  whether  it  be  the 
supply  of  earthly  wants,  or  pardon,  grace,  peace,  or  heaven 
itself—"  ask,  and  ye  shall  have."  What  are  those  mercies 
and  comforts  which  others  have  not,  but  you  are  now  enjoy- 
ing ?  and  what  are  those  which  you  could  least  of  all  spare  ] 
give  hearty  and  unfeigned  thanks  for  the  possession  of  these. 
Consider  the  wants  of  your  friends,  your  immediate  rela- 
tives, and  your  acquaintance,  and  intercede  for  them.  In 
short,  make  known  your  present  sins,  wants,  desires,  and 
mercies,  and  empty  the  very  thoughts  of  your  hearts  in  the 
most  easy  and  obvious  expressions. — "  Lord,  save  me,  or  I 
perish ;  Jesus,  thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  upon  me ; 
God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner ;"  coming  from  a  full  heart, 
are  of  prevailing  weight  and  importance :  while  the  most 
eloquent  form  of  words,  which  is  the  mere  expression  of 
tlie  lips,  is  utterly  unavailing.  Thus  you  may  see  that  there 
need  not  be  any  difficulty  for  the  poorest  and  most  unlearn- 
ed to  express  their  desires  in  prayer.  And  do  you  complain 
of  indisposition  and  unwillingness  to  set  about  the  duty! 
go  to  the  footstool  of  mercy,  confess,  in  broken  sighs  and 
groans,  even  this  indisposition  of  heart,  cast  this  care  upon 
God,  and  he  will  either  remove  it,  or  accept  those  broken 
sighs,  and  unexpressed  wishes  of  the  heart,  which  mark  the 
unfeigned  desire  to  find  his  favor,  and  to  love  and  serve  him. 
The  great  thing  is  to  have  the  heart  right  with  God  ;  then 
there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  finding  matter  for  prayer. 
What  the  heart  feels  tlie  mouth  will  express :  and  the  vary- 
ing temptations  and  circumstances  of  life  will  thus  afford 
great  variety  in  your  prayers.  Dwell,  therefore,  chiefly  on 
those  things  with  which  you  are  the  most  deeply  affected, 
whick  are  warmest  in  your  own  hearts. 

Prayer  for  temporal  blessings  should  ever  be  mingled 
with  expressions  of  entire  and  unfeigned  submission  to  the 
will  of  God.  To  ask  for  them  thus  is  not  improper,  but 
perfectly  right,  for  many  of  the  highest  saints  have  done  so, 
and  it  may  please  God  in  this  way  to  impart  those  tempo- 
ral good  things  which  we  need.     Hannah  asks  for  chil» 


A    TREATISE    0\    PRAYER.  55 

dren,  and  God  hears  her  prayer.  Hezekiah  asks  for  health, 
and  his  sickness  is  removed.  Paul  prays  for  the  father  of 
Publius  sick  of  a  fever,  and  he  is  healed.*  Nay,  Asa  is 
blamed,  because  "  in  his  disease  he  souo-ht  not  to  the  Lord, 
but  to  the  physicians."!  Only  see  to  it  that  your  desires  are 
purified  from  all  carnal  ends,  and  sanctified  to  the  glory  of 
God  ;■  that  is,  that  you  desire  to  serve  him  more  through  the 
tilings  which  you  request.  This  makes  the  end  of  the 
prayer  spiritual. 

Prayer  for  spiritual  blessings,  for  pardon,  peace,  holmess, 
love,  the  favor  of  God,  and  the  glory  of  heaven,  calls  for 
great  earnestness.  Take  no  denial.  Say,  like  Jacob,  "I 
will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me."|:  Be  importunate 
with  your  God.  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  vio- 
lence, and  the  violent  take  it  by  force."  Yet  it  is  possible  to 
desire  even  spiritual  things  for  merely  carnal  ends,  as  with 
the  notion  of  meriting  heaven  by  them  for  human  applause, 
&c.  And  it  is  too  true,  that  not  only  the  formalist,  but  a 
really  devout  man  in  general,  may  thus  sometimes  make  a 
carnal  prayer  even  when  asking  for  spiritual  things.  In- 
deed, every  prayer  that  we  offer  up  needs  divine  forgive- 
ness, and  the  Savior's  mediation. 

Sect.  IV. — On  Forms  of  Prayer. 

Forms  of  prayer  are  in  themselves  not  only  lawful, §  but 
oflen,  even  in  private,  expedient  and  advantageous.  They 
are  a  help  by  which  a  child  may  be  trained  to  walk  alone ; 
the  stafi:'  by  which  weak  Christians  may,  through  the  divine 
blessing,  be  supported ;  or  the  strong,  occasionally,  when 
laboring  under  present  deadness,  or  indisposition,  be  much 
assisted. 

The  necessity  for  forms  of  prayer  must  therefore  be  left 
to  the  cases  and  consciences  of  individuals.  Let  it  be  re- 
membered, that  it  is  not  forms  of  prayer,  nor  the  want  of 
them,  that  makes  real  devotion ;  but  the  grace  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus.  It  is  confessed  that  many  not  only  do  not  use 
forms,  but  would  be  straitened  in  the  use  of  them.  Surely 
Christians  ought  to  have  wisdom  and  charity  neither  to 
censure  nor  to  speak  disdainfully  of  those  who  in  earnest 
seek  communion  w^ith  God,  either  in  the  use  of  forms  or 

*  Acts  xxviii.  8.  t  2  Chron.  xvi.  12. 

t  Gen.  laxii.  26.  $  Luke  xi.  2. 


56  A    TREATISE    ON    I'RAYER. 

without  them.  "  The  g-raccs  of  prayer,"  says  Bennett, 
*'  faith,  love,  humility,  contrition,  resignation,  holy  desires, 
and  devout  affections,  are  tlie  life  and  soul  of  prayer,  and 
much  more  to  be  regarded  than  this  or  that  mode  of  out- 
ward performance. 

Bishop  Wilkins,  after  allowing  tlie  use  of  forms  f:)r  the 
young  and  weaker  Christian,  both  in  the  family  and  the 
closet,  and  giving  iiim  a  caution  as  to  tlie  necessity  of  being 
'•  narrowly  watchful  over  his  own  heart,  for  fear  of  that  lip 
service  and  formality  to  which  in  such  cases  we  are  more 
especially  exposed,"  adds  as  follows:  "But,  for  any  one  so 
to  sit  down  and  satisfy  himself  with  this  book  of  prayer,  or 
prescribed  form,  as  to  go  no  farther,  this  were  still  to  re- 
main in  his  infancy,  and  not  to  grow  up  in  his  new  nature. 
This  would  be  as  if  a  man  who  had  once  need  of  crutches, 
should  always  afterwards  make  use  of  them,  and  so  necessi- 
tate himself  to  a  continual  impotency. 

"  And  if  it  be  a  fault  not  to  strive  and  labor  after  this 
gift,  much  more  is  it  to  jeer  and  despise  it,  by  the  name 
of  '  extempore  prayer,'  and  '  praying  by  the  Spirit,'  which 
expressions  are,  for  the  most  part,  a  sign  of  a  profane 
heart,  altogether  a  stranger  to  the  power  and  comfort  of 
this  duty." 

And  after  giving  some  directions  to  help  his  readers  in 
the  performance  of  prayer,  he  says,  '•  It  will  not  be  difficult 
to  him  tiiat  shall  attempt  it  after  this  manner  to  pray  in  jjri- 
vate  without  a  form.  And  it  is  not  easy  to  express  what  a 
vast  diflerence  a  man  may  find  in  respect  of  inward  com- 
fort and  satisfaction,  between  those  private  prayers  that  are 
thus  conceived  from  the  aftections,  and  those  prescribed 
forms  which  we  say  by  rote,  or  read  out  of  books." 

Indeed,  an  ability  and  readiness  to  express  our  thoughts 
to  God,  in  all  the  various  parts  of  prayer,  in  the  manner 
most  fit  to  profit  our  own  souls,  and  the  souls  of  those  who 
join  us  is  not  only  a  valuable  gift,  but  a  delightful  privi- 
lege which  every  Christian  should  seek  to  gain. 

It  has  been  found  useful  in  private  prayer,  to  consider  pre 
viously  the  things  which  you  have  to  mention,  and  to  put 
them  down  under  the  different  parts  of  prayer.  Thus,  have 
you  sinned  by  vain  and  triffing  conversation  in  company  1 
place  that  under  Confession.  Do  you  fear  a  particular 
temptation  1  place  the  desire  for  strength  to  resist  it,  under 
Petition.  This  previous  arrangement  has  been  found  to  keep 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  5^ 

the  mind  more  fixed  on  its  work,  and  it  also  g-ives  you  the 
advantage  of  reflecting  afterwards  on  the  subjects  of  your 
prayer. 

It  may  be  observed,  that  the  Scriptures  supply  us  with 
liiany  beautiful  models  of  prayer.*  Some  have  found  it  use- 
ful to  take  a  Psalm  or  chapter  for  a  form  of  prayer;  such 
as  tiie  108(1  Psalm  for  praise,  the  51st  Psalm  for  confession, 
the  yth  of  Daniel  for  intercession,  the  12th  of  Romans  for 
petition.  And  again,  others  have  found  it  edifying  and  prof- 
itable daily  to  repeat  the  Te  Deum.  God  blesses  us  in  va- 
rious ways  when  we  endeavor,  in  simplicity  and  sincerity, 
to  seek  and  enjoy  his  presence,  and  obtain  his  favor. 

As  prayer  is  a  duty  of  such  immense  importance,  and  of 
sucli  continual  recurrence,  we  shall  dwell  more  fully  on  the 
subject  matter  of  our  prayers  under  the  following  Section : 

Sect.  V. — On  the  various  parts  of  Prayer. 

It  will  appear,  from  what  has  been  said  already,  that  no 
form  of  prayer  can,  perliaps,  adequately  express  all  our  pri- 
vate, personal,  and  particular  wants.  It  will,  therefore,  be 
useful  to  have  our  minds  so  furnished  with  information  on 
the  various  parts  of  prayer,  that  we  may,  orderly,  and  with 
propriety  and  readiness,  express  every  want  before  God. 

The  parts  which  are  essential  in  our  prayers,  may  be 
comprehended  under  the  four  heads  of  Confession,  Petition, 
Intercession,  and  Thanksgiving.  It  will  be  useful  to  have 
these  four  particulars  in  your  mind,  and  to  bring  them  more 
or  less  into  every  prayer.  Perhaps  this  four-fold  division 
may  have  been  deduced  from  the  passage,  (1  Tim.  ii.  1,) 
where  the  Apostle  says,  "I  exhort,  therefore,  that  first  of 
all,  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  and  giving  of  thanks 
be  made."  Our  sins,  our  wants,  the  wants  of  others,  and 
the  merciesof  God,  are  the  great  subjects  for  every  prayer. 

Bishop  Wilkins  has  given  a  view  of  the  whole  subject 
in  the  following  Analysis  of  Prayer : 

CONFESSION. 

Acknowledgment  of  sins  by 
Enumeration. 

Original,  in  our  inward  man. 
in  our  outward  man. 
Actual,  both  against  Law  and  Gospel. 
National  and  personal. 

*  See  Hosea  xiv.  1,  2,  d;c 


58  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Omission  and  commission. 
Thought,  word,  and  deed 
Aggravation  of  them  in  general,  by  multitude  and  greatness, 
in  special,  the  kinds  of  sin. 
in  particular,  the  circumstances. 
Punishments  of  them  external,  in  our  bodies,  friends, 
estates,  and  names, 
internal,  in  respect  of  blessings, 

natural  and  spiritual, 
eternal,  of  loss  and  pain. 

PETITION. 
Supplication  for  ourselves. 

Deprecation  against  the  evil  of  sin. 

in  respect  of  its  guilt  for  pardon,  and  for 
the  evidence  of  pardon, 
of  its  power, 
against  the  evil  of  temptation  by  our  corrupt  nature, 

the  Devil,  and  the  world, 
against  the  evil  of  punishment. 
Comprecation. 

For  spiritual  good  in  the  sanctification  of  our  nature,  both 
inward  and  outward  man. 
in  the  obedience  of  our  lives,  b}?^  the  per- 
formance, continuance,  and  increase  in 
the  duties  both  of  the  Law  and  the  Gos- 
pel. 
For  temporal  good,  in  the  provision  for  us,  and  protection 
of  us. 
Intercession  for  others. 

In  general — The  Catholic  Church. 

In  special — Ordinary  for  the  nations  uncalled,  as  Infidels,  Jews, 

&c. 
the  nations  called — our  own  nation,  allies. 
Occasional,  in  times  of  War,  Famine,  Pestilence,  &c. 
In  particular — Ordinary  for  all  relations,  public  or  political, 
private  or  economical, 
friendship,  or  enmity, 
neighborhood. 
Occasiona.,  for  the  afflicted  in  mind,  body,  or  estate. 

THANKSGIVING. 

Mercies  to  be  enumerated. 

Ordinary,  Temporal,  Private,  as  being,  nature,  birth,  education, 
preservation,  souls,  bodies,  friends,  names, 
estates,  &c. 
Public,  as  fruitful,  healthful,  and  peaceable 
seasons. 
Spiritual,  election,  redemption,  vocation,  justifi- 
cation, sanctification,  both  as  to  its  parts  and 
means,  hope  of  glory. 
Occasional,  for  soma  particular  preservation,  recov- 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  59 

ery,  or  deliverance  of  ourselves,  or  others,  in  soul, 
or  body. 
Mercies  to  be  amplified 

Generally  by  their  multitude. 

greatness  in  respect  of  the  giver,  and  as  to 
the  receiver, 
their  continuance, 
particularly  by  their  circumstances,  degrees,  contraries. 

Intermingled  with  all  our  prayers  should  be  the  most 
profound,  and  unfeigned  adoration  of  that  great  God  whom 
we  worship.  Of  every  prayer  we  should  aim  to  be  enabled 
to  say  with  Nebuchadnezzar,  "  I  blessed  the  most  High, 
and  I  praised  and  honored  him  that  liveth  for  ever,  whose 
dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion,  and  his  kingdom  is 
from  generation  to  generation."* 

The  order  in  which  you  bring  forward  the  various  parts 
of  prayer,  is  of  little  importance,  and  may  depend  on  the 
present  state  of  your  mind.  Are  you  burdened  by  sin? 
begin  by  confessing  your  sins.  Are  you  rejoicing  in  God's 
goodness  1  pour  out  your  heart  first  in  grateful  thanksgiv- 
ings, and  then  confess  your  unworthmess  of  every  good. 
"  Is  any  afflicted  ]  let  him  pray.  Is  any  merry  ]  let  him 
sing  psalms  ff 

We  will  now  enlarge  upon  each  of  the  preceding  parts 
of  prayer. 

I.    CONFESSION. 

Under  this  head,  express  your  present  feelings  respect- 
ing your  sinfulness  and  guilt.  In  private  prayer  you  should 
be  minute,  and  full  in  confessing  sins,  and  the  circum- 
stances attending  them.  The  more  particular  you  are  in 
enumerating  those  sins  of  which  conscience  accuses  you, 
the  more  you  dwell  on  the  aggravations  of  your  offences, 
and  condenm,  and  abase  yourself  before  God,  the  more  He 
will  lift  you  up. 

Acknowledge  then  His  spotless  holiness.  His  almighty 
power,  His  perfect  justice,  and  that  you  cannot  approach 
with  comfort  or  confidence,  but  through  the  advocate  of 
sinners,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous :  and  with  the  feeling  ot 
the  publican,  cry  only  for  mercy. 

Do  you  feel  your  continual  proneness  and  propensity  to 
sin  7     Confess    your  original    corruption. — You    are    a 

*  Dan.  iv.  34.  t  James  v.  13. 


60  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

"  transgressor  from  the  womb  ;"=•''  "  shapen  in  iniqiiirj'  find 
ccnceived  in  sin  ;"t  "  by  nature  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins, 
and  the  cliild  of  wrath."J  Mark  also  the  progress  of  sin, 
the  sins  of  childhood  and  of  riper  years.  You  may  jioin 
Jeremiah  in  saying-,  "We  have  sinned  ag-ainst  the  J.ord 
our  God,  we  and  our  fathers  even  unto  this  day."^  Ob- 
serve how  this  corruption  has  defiled  your  under^itanduifir, 
so  that  you  may  have  often  to  apply  the  description,  not 
liking  "  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge,"|!  to  yourself 
Even  your  conscience  will,  at  all  times,  appear  to  be  "  past 
feeling-,  being  seared  as  with  a  hot  iron."T[  Your  ({^ac- 
tions have  been  fixed  on  evil  things,  (Matt.  xv.  19,)  and 
you  can  say  from  experience,  "  the  heart  is  deceitful  above 
all  tilings  and  desperately  wicked."**  The  will  has  be- 
come a  servant  to  sin,  (2  Pet.  ii.  19,)  "  brought  in  bondage" 
unto  corruption.  The  memory  has  been  forgetful  of  what 
is  good,  and  retentive  only  of  evil.     (Heb.  ii.  1.) 

The  powers  of  the  soul  have  thus  been  corrupted  in  the 
fall ;  nor  have  the  members  of  the  body  been  less  estranged 
from  God.  The  eye  is  "  full  of  adultery,  pride,  and  envy."f-( 
The  ear  "  uncircumcised,"|]:  often  open  to  slander,  malig- 
nity, and  sin ;  and  often  shut  against  divine  truth.  The 
tongue  is  "  a  world  of  iniquity,  defiling  the  whole  body."^J 
The  mouth  "  full  of  cursing  and  bitterness."  The  feet 
"  swift  in  the  ways  of  sin."|[|l  In  short,  all  the  members 
of  the  body  have  been  yielded  up  as  '•  instruments  of  un- 
righteousness unto  sin."'!i1[  Those  who  know  their  own 
hearts,  will  be  ready  to  acknowledge,  that  the  seeds  of  the 
worst  and  most  aggravated  wickedness  which  have  been 
practised  by  other  men,  lie  hid  therein,  (Matt.  xv.  19,)  and 
are  only  restrained  from  bursting  forth  by  God's  grace. 
The  pious  Martyr  Bradford,  when  he  saw  a  poor  criminal 
led  to  execution,  exclaimed,  "  there,  but  for  the  grace  of 
God,  goes  John  Bradford."  He  knew  that  the  same  evil 
principles  were  in  his  own  heart  which  liad  brought  tlie 
criminal  to  that  shameful  end. 

But  should  you,  from  ignorance  of  your  own  heart,  be 
ready  to  think  well  of  yourself,  consider  your  actual  trans- 

*  Isa.  xlviii.  8.  t  Ps.  Ii.  5.  J  Eph.  ii.  5. 

$  Jer.  iii.  25.  1|  Rom.  i.  28.  IT  1  Tim.  iv.  2. 

♦*  Jer.  xvii.  9.  tt  2  Pet.  ii.  14.  tt  Acts  vii.  51. 

$$  James  iii.  6.  ||||  Rom.  iii.  15.  ^^  Rom.  vi.  13. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  61 

gressions.  Go  through  the  ten  commandments.  See,  in 
the  first,  how  often  you  have  loved  the  creature  more  than 
tJie  Creator,  and  been  among  those  who  are  "  lovers  of 
pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God."  See,  in  the  second, 
how  often  you  have  disregarded,  or  slightly  performed  his 
holy  worship.  In  the  third,  observe  your  profanation  of 
liis  holy  name  by  an  irreverent  and  careless  use  of  it ;  and 
of  his  holy  character  by  unholy  words,  or  an  unholy  life. 
In  the  fourth,  notice  all  your  sins  relating  to  the  sabbath. 
In  the  fifth,  your  sins  respecting  your  relatives,  as  parents, 
brothers,  sisters,  and  others.  In  the  sixth,  your  evil 
thoughts  of  others,  remembering,  "  he  that  hateth  his 
brother  is  a  murderer."  In  the  seventh,  your  licentious 
imaginations — "  whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust 
after  her,  hath  committed  adultery  with  her  already  in  his 
heart."  By  the  eighth,  you  may  bring  to  your  recollec- 
tion your  partiality  or  hypocrisy  in  your  dealings  and  trans- 
actions ;  by  the  ninth,  your  duplicity  and  want  of  truth ; 
and,  by  the  tenth,  your  covctousness  and  love  of  worldly 
things. 

And  in  order  to  discover  more  of  the  full  extent  of  youlf 
sinfulness,  remember,  that  you  are  accountable  to  God,  not 
only  for  sins  committed,  but,  for  duties  omitted ;  and  that 
your  sins  in  thought,  as  well  as  those  in  word  and  action, 
expose  you  to  the  displeasure  of  God  ;*  "  the  thoughts  of 
the  wicked  are  an  abomination  to  the  Lord." 

These  are  sms  more  especially  against  the  law  of  God. 
But  in  sins  relating  to  the  Gospel,  you  will  see  more  of 
the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin,  and  thence  have  a  more 
abundant  cause  of  penitent  confession.  Sin,  when  you 
have  heard  and  received  the  Gospel,  becomes  peculiarly 
hateful,  as  it  is  sin  against  love  itself  Hence,  unbelief, 
impenitence,  and  self-righteousness,  are  so  burdensome  to 
the  mind  of  the  believer,-  and  so  much  humble  him  before 
his  God. 

Any  unbelief  in,  or  doubt  about  the  love  and  grace  of 
God,  after  such  displays  of  that  love  as  the  Bible  discovers, 
confirmed  in  so  many  ways,  and  by  such  powerful  and  nu- 
merous witnesses,  especially  after  those  gracious  deliver- 
ances which  we  have  often  experienced,  is  no  small  sin. 
It  shows  the  Christian  how  he  merits  his  Savior's  upbraid- 

♦  Prov.  XV.  26. 
F 


62  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

ing"s  of  unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart ;  "  O  fools,  and  slow 
of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken."*  He 
will  often  be  disposed  to  ask  himself,  "  where  is  that  simple 
reliance  on  the  blood,  righteousness,  intercession,  and 
grace  of  Christ,  which  should  give  the  soul  continual  peace 
and  joy  J"  He  will  be  humbled  also  by  the  mixture  of  self- 
rig-hteousness  which  appears  in  all  his  attempts  to  glorify 
God.  He  will  often  seem  to  himself,  like  the  Jews,  "  who, 
going  about  to  establish  their  own  righteousness,  did  not 
submit  themselves  to  the  righteousness  of  God  ;"t  and  this 
mark  of  remaining  pride,  and  self-conceit,  will  be  confessed 
and  bewailed.  He  will  be  greatly  affected  by  the  hardness 
and  impenitence  of  his  heart.  The  consideration  that  the 
goodness  of  God  should  have  led  him  to  repentance,  and 
yet  that  he  is  so  little  affected,  or  moved  by  it,  so  often  ap- 
parently totally  insensible  to  it,  will  sometimes  come  home 
to  his  heart  with  such  eflect,  as  to  bring  him  to  the  throne 
of  grace  in  the  most  penitent  confessions  of  a  broken  and 
contrite  spirit.  The  particularity  of  our  confession  in  all 
these  things  is  of  great  im}X)rtance  to  the  moving  and  stir- 
ring up  of  our  dull  affections. 

These  sins  will  be  seen  to  be  aggravated  by  the  con- 
sideration of  the  majesty,  mercy,  and  holiness  of  that  God 
against  whom  they  have  been  committed,  and  of  the  ten- 
dency of  all  sin.  The  Christian  remembers  how  it  has  de- 
based the  soul  of  man,  the  fairest  and  most  glorious  image 
of  God  on  earth  ;  how  it  nailed  the  only  Son  of  God  on  the 
tree  ;  how  it  causes  every  sorrow  here,  and  eternal  sorrow 
in  the  life  to  come. 

The  multitude  of  our  sijis,  will  be  another  part  of  our 
confession  ;  we  shall  say  of  them  with  David,  "  They  are 
more  than  the  hairs  of  mine  head."|  "  Who  can  tell  ho\» 
ofl  he  offendeth 3"^  or  with  Ezra,  "Our  iniquities  are  in- 
creased over  us,  and  our  trespasses  are  grown  up  unto  the 
heavens."ll 

There  are  also  some  particularly  grievous  sins,  of 
which  conscience  justly  accuses  us.  Sins  which,  how 
ever  now  they  may  be  forgotten,  caused  peculiar  uneasi- 
ness and  anxiety  when  they  were  first  committed.  I  mean 
Bins  committed,  more  or  less,  against  light  and  knowledge, 

*  Luke  xxiv.  25.  t  Rom.  x.  3.  t  Ps.  xl.  12. 

$  Ps.  xix.  12.  II  Ezra  ix.  6. 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  63 

against  the  checks  of  conscience,  against  the  motions  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  though  we  knew  the  love  of  a  bleeding 
Savior,  and  the  Father  of  mercies.  Sins  committed  more 
or  less  presumptuously  and  wilfully,  deliberately  and  re- 
peatedly. 

Feeling  this,  you  will  be  ready  to  acknowledge  the  pun- 
ishment due  on  account  of  your  sins,  and  to  say  with  Jer- 
emiah, "  It  is  of  the  Lord's  mercies  that  we  are  not  con- 
sumed, because  his  compassion  fail  not."*  We  have 
sinned  in  the  enjoyment  of  every  blessing ;  and  it  is  right 
and  meet  we  should  confess  that  God  would  be  just  in 
depriving  us  of  them,  or  punishing  us  in  the  use  of  them. 

The  imperfection  and  defective  character  of  all  our 
obedience,  should  also  be  plainly  confessed.  How  slight 
and  transient  is  our  repentance  ! — how  slow  iiave  we  been 
to  be  reconciled  to  those  with  whom  we  have  been  at  en- 
mity !  Have  we  yet  fully  made  restitution  to  those  we 
may  have  wronged  in  any  way,  either  as  to  their  character, 
their  comfort,  or  their  property  ?  by  negligence  and  care- 
lessness, sins  have  been  more  than  half  allowed :  and  how 
often  our  watchfulness  has  become  relaxed,  and  we  have 
thus  fallen  into  temptation  !  Or  again,  how  little  have  our 
evil  tempers  been  subdued !  Even  "  all  our  righteousnesses 
are  as  filthy  rags."     Isa.  Ixiv.  G.f 

The  true  ground  of  a  right  confession  of  our  sins,  is  a 
just  knowledge  of  the  holy  law  of  God,  and  of  our  hearts 
and  lives.  Self-examination  is  then  absolutely  necessary 
in  order  to  an  enlightened  and  feeling  confession  of  sin. 
This  will  keep  us  from  their  mistake  who  confess  little  sins 
much,  and  altogether  neglect  greater ;  who  confess  those 
sins  which  they  seldom  commit,  and  neglect  those  into 
which  they  fall  continually  and  frequently. 

II.    PETITION. 

From  confessing  our  sins,  we  may  easily  and  naturally 
pass  to  the  earnest  request  of  those  blessings  which  sinners 
want ;  and  this,  either  by 

*  Lam.  iii.  22. 

t  A  pious  person  found  a  great  advantage  in  keeping  a  list  of  those 
Rins  to  which  he  had  found  himself  specially  tempted,  and  praying 
daily  and  particularly  for  strength  against  them. 


64  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

A  profession  of  shame  and  sorrow  for  so  many  sins  ;  or,  of 

purpose  to  renounce  our  own  righteousness ;  or, 
A  desire  of  grace  for  greater  strictness  in  future  ;  or, 
A  brief  application  to  ourselves  of  the  many  promises  of 
mercy  to  those  that  repent  and  believe.  * 

First,  ask  for  those  things  which  concern  the  averting  of 
evil. 

The  great  thing  which  wo  need  is  divine  mercy.  When 
David  had  a  peculiar  strong  sense  of  his  sinfulness  upon  his 
mind,  he  begins  his  prayer  with  earnest  and  repeated  peti- 
tions for  mercy.  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  accord- 
ing to  thy  loving  kindness :  according  unto  the  multitude 
of  thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my  transgressions."*  The 
penitent  publican  asked  only  for  mercy.  We  are  to  ap- 
proach the  throne  of  grace  for  this  end,  that  we  "  may  ob- 
tain mercy."  When  the  Apostle  Paul  sums  up  the  benefit 
which  he  derived  from  his  conversion,  he  does  it  in  these 
words,  "  I  obtained  mercy." 

Mercy,  good  Lord,  mercy  I  ask, 

This  is  the  total  sum  , 
For  mercy.  Lord,  is  all  my  suit, 

Lord,  let  thy  mercy  come. 

If,  confessing  our  sins,  we  plead  guilty  to  all  the  charge 
that  is  against  us,  in  a  spirit  of  humiliation  and  godly  sor- 
row, and  in  dependence  upon  the  promise,  "  that  whoso 
confesseth  and  forsaketh  his  sins  shall  find  mercy,"  we 
need  not  doubt  about  a  favorable  reception.  Jesus  Christ 
has  assured  us,  "  him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no 
wise  cast  out." 

Sinners  need  deliverance  from  the  guilt  and  front  the 
power  of  sin.  With  respect  to  the  guilt  of  sin,  seeing 
that  believers  are  "justified  freely  by  the  grace  of  God 
through  the  redemption  of  Jesus  Christ,"  you  should  pray 
for  an  interest  in  this  justification.  Urge  the  mercy  of 
God,  for  "with  the  Lord  there  is  mercy."f  Plead  the 
merits  of  Christ  "  who  was  wounded  for  our  transgres- 
sions, and  bruised  for  oiir  iniquities."|  "  He  was  made 
sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  him."^  Urge  the  many  and  faith- 
ful protnises — "  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and 

*  Ps.  li.  L  +  Ps.  cxxx.  7.  t  Isa.  liii.  5. 

$  2  Cor.  V.  21 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  65 

just  to  forgive  us  our  sins."*  "  Only  acknowledge  thine 
iniquity."f 

You  should  also  seek  for  more  than  mere  pardon ;  I  mean 
a  knowledge  of  being  pardoned  and  accepted  in  Christ. 
This  is  promised,  and  may,  and  should,  be  obtained :  ask, 
tljen,  with  David,  "  Say  unto  my  soul,  I  am  thy  salvation." 
Pray  that  "being  justified  by  faith,"  you  may  "have 
peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"J  and  be 
"  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  which  is  the 
earnest  of  our  inheritance."  Nor  be  satisfied  till  you  can 
say,  "  the  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  wHth  our  spirit, 
that  we  are  the  children  of  God."  j  Thus  seek  to  have  the 
fall  assurance  of  faith  and  hope.     Heb.  vi.  11 ;  x.  22. 

With  respect  to  deliverance  from  the  power  of  sin,  re- 
member that  Jesus  Christ  is  "  exalted  to  be  a  Prince  and 
a  Savior,  to  give  repentance  as  well  as  remission  of  sins :" 
no  avowedly  impenitent  sinner  is  a  pardoned  sinner.  Pray 
then,  that  "  the  grace  of  God  which  bringeth  salvation, 
may  teach  you  to  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  and 
to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present 
world :"  pray,  that  the  Savior  may  purify  you,  unto  him- 
self^ that  you  may  be  found  among  his  peculiar  people, 
"  zealous  of  good  works."  Various  pleas  may  be  urged  to 
obtain  this  deliverance.  Christ  gave  himself  for  this  end ; 
and  he  says,  "  herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear 
much  fruit." 

You  are  surrounded  with  numerous  iemptntions.  Pray 
that  God  would  "  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  what 
you  are  able  to  bear."  "  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all 
things,  and  desperately  wicked;"  pray  that  it  may  be 
freed  from  all  guile,  deceit,  and  hypocrisy,  purified  by  faith 
in  Jesus.  II  You  are  in  an  ensnaring  world,  pray  that  you 
may  "  not  be  conformed"  to  it,  but  be  "  transformed  by 
the  renewing  of  your  mind."ir  "  The  devil  goeth  about  as 
a  roaring  lion  seeking  whom  he  may  devour ;"  ask  then 
that  "  the  God  of  peace  would  bruise  Satan  under  your 
feet  shortly."** 

You  have  deserved  various  punishments,  and  have  there- 
fore reason  to  pray  that  no  evil  may  befall  you,  neither  any 

*  1  John  i.  9.  t  Jer.  iii.  1 3.  X  Rom.  v.  1. 

$  Rom.  viii.  16.  H  Acts  xv.  9.  IT  Rom.  xii.  2. 

**  Rom.  xvi.  20. 

F2 


66  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

plague  come  nigh  your  dwelling  ;*  you  have  reason  to  ash 
with  David,  "  cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence,  and 
take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me."t 

To  these  prayers  for  the  averting  of  evil,  add  Petitions 
for  those  good  things  which  we  need. 

Spiritual  blessings  are  the  things  of  first  and  main  im- 
portance. The  direction  is  to  seek  these  things  first.  It 
is  not  inaptly  observed,  "  the  petition  for  heavenly  things  is 
the  only  key  timt  must  open  the  door  to  our  petition  for 
temporals."  The  first  spiritual  blessing  is  "  a  new  heart 
and  a  new  spirit."|  Pray,  then,  that  "you  may  put  on 
tlie  new  man,  which  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness 
and  true  holiness."^  With  what  sins  does  your  conscience 
charge  you  ?  go  through  all  the  particulars,  and  pray  for 
the  opposite  graces.  Are  you  proud  ]  pray  for  humility. 
Are  you  worldly  !  for  heaven ly-mindedness.  Is  there  any 
grace  which  you  specially  need  ?  pray  for  it.  Is  there 
any  sin  into  which  you  are  more  apt  to  fall"?  pray  to 
be  delivered  from  it.  Is  there  any  duty  or  trial  before 
you  1  ask  for  wisdom,  grace,  and  strength,  in  that  particu- 
lar circumstance.  Keep  minutes  of  these  things,  for  your 
own  use. 

Your  heart,  in  short,  is  not  in  a  right  state,  till  it  be  your 
fixed  purpose  to  devote  yourself  entirely  to  God,  and  you 
long  to  have  all  the  powers  of  your  mind,  the  affections  of 
your  soul,  aud  the  members  of  your  body,  wholly  given  up 
to  his  service.  St.  Paul  prays  for  the  Thessalonians,  (v. 
23,)  "  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctif}''  you  wholly ;  and  I 
pray  God  your  whole  spirit,  and  soul,  and  body,  be  preserv- 
ed blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
He  beseeches  the  Romans  to  "  present  their  bodies  a  liv- 
ing sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  to  God."  He  reminds 
the  Corinthians,  "  ye  are  not'  your  own,  but  bought  with  a 
price  ;  therefore  glorify  God  in  your  body  and  in  your  spirit 
which  are  God's."  The  love  of  God  must  excite  and  ani- 
mate you  to  tliis.  Pray,  then,  that  "  the  love  of  God" 
may  be  "  shed  abroad  in  your  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost."|| 

Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  the  most  excellent 
gift.  IF  Desire,  then,  that  you  may  be  taught  of  God  to  love 

*Ps.  cix.  10.  tPs.  li.  11.  t  Ezek.  xxxvi.  26. 

$  Eph.  iv  24.  II  Rom.  v.  5.  IT  1  Cor.  xiii. 


A    TREATISE    ON^    PRAYER.  67 

Others;*  to  "be  kindly  afFectioned  one  to  another  with 
brotherly  love,  in  honor  preferring-  one  another.f 

Christians  who  feel  that  the  precious  deposit  of  Christ's 
glory  is  in  a  peculiar  way  intrusted  to  them,  will  especially 
pray  that  they  may  be  enabled  in  all  things  to  "  adorn  the 
doctrine  of  God  their  Savior :"  that  they  may  be  "  holy 
in  ail  manner  of  conversation;  walking  worthy  of  the 
Lord  unto  all  pleasing ;"  that  they  may  "  give  all  diligence, 
md  add  to  their  faith,  virtue]: — knowledge— temperance — 
patience — godliness — brotherly  kindness — and  charity."^ 

The  Christian  need  not  confine  himself  to  petitions  for 
spiritual  blessings.  Temporal  blessings  are  promised,  and 
may  be  sought  of  God.  Whatever  good  thing  you  may 
want,  relative  to  your  earthly  comfort ;  whatever  direction, 
provision,  or  protection,  you  need  concerning  your  body, 
your  calling,  yowr  name,  your  estate,  or  your  friends; 
whatever  your  desires  be,  "in  every  thing,  by  prayer  and 
supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  make  your  requests  known 
unto  God."  Yet,  in  asking  for  temporal  blessings,  it  will 
ever  become  us  not  to  "seek  great  things  for  ourselves :"li 
and  to  say  with  our  Savior,  "  Nevertheless,  not  ray  will, 
but  thine,  be  done."  The  prayer  of  Agur  is  a  suitable 
prayer  for  us.lT  "  Remove  from  me  vanity  and  lies ;  give 
me  neither  poverty  nor  riches ;  feed  me  with  food  conve- 
nient for  me :  lest  I  be  full  and  deny  thee,  and  say.  Who  is 
the  Lord !  or  lest  I  be  poor  and  steal,  and  take  the  name 
of  my  God  in  vain," 

Do  we  hot  deprive  ourselves  of  many  temporal  comforts 
by  not  bringing  our  necessities  of  this  kmd  before  God  ? 
Many  of  the  examples  of  prayer  which  we  have  in  the 
Scriptures,  are  for  temporal  blessings.  Only  remember  to 
ask  for  them  in  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  and  the  bet- 
ter to  enable  you  to  serve  him. 

Relative  duties  should  ever  occupy  a  place  in  our  prayers. 
As  ministers,  that  we  may  be  faithful  "  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God,"**  "by  the  manifestation  of  the  truth 
commending  ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience  in  the 
sight  of  God,"f  t  making  "  full  proof  of  our  ministry,  rightly 

*  1  Thess.  iv.  9,  t  Rom.  jcii.  10. 

X  Strength  or  courage,  in  the  work  of  Christ,  $  2  Pet.  i.  5,  7. 

II  Jer.  xlv.  25.                1  Prov.  ixx.  7,  9.  **  1  Cor.  iv.  1. 
ft  2  Cor.  iv.  2. 


68  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

dividing-  the  word  of  truth,"*  and  in  all  thing's  showing  a 
"  pattern  of  good  works."  As  hearers  and  people,  that  we 
may  esteem  "  those  that  may  labor  among  us,  and  are  over 
us  in  the  Lord,  very  Jiighly  in  love  for  their  works'  sake;"f 
that  we  may  "  receive  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it,  and  be 
saved," 

As  husbands,  that  you  may  "  love  your  wives,  even  as 
Christ  also  loved  the  Church  ;"|  giving  "  honor  unto  them 
as  the  weaker  vessel,  and  as  being  heirs  together  of  the 
grace  of  life."^ 

As  wives,  that  you  may  "  submit  yourselves  to  your  own 
husbands,  as  unto  the  Lord,"||  **  having  the  ornament  of  a 
meek  and  quiet  spirit."ir 

As  parents,  to  "  bring  up  your  children  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord,"**  teaching  the  word  of  God 
diligently  unto  them  ;tt  "  chastening  thy  son  while  there 
is  hope."|| 

As  children,  to  "honor  your  father  and  mother,"§5 
obeying  your  "parents  well  in  all  things."||l| 

As  masters,  giving  unto  your  "  servants  that  which  is 
just  and  equal,  knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  master  in 
heaven."1I1T 

As  servants,  that  we  may  be  "  obedient  to  them  that  arc 
our  masters  according  to  the  flesh,  in  singleness  of  heart, 
as  unto  Christ ;  not  with  eye-service  as  men-pleasers,  but 
as  the  servants  of  Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God  from  the 
heart."*** 

As  magistrates,  remembering,  "  He  that  ruleth  over  men 
must  be  just,  ruling  in  the  fear  of  God."f ff 

As  subjects,  praying  "  for  kings,  and  for  all  that  are  in 
authority,"  that  we  "  may  lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable  life  in 
all  godliness  and  honesty,"!]:^  "  rendering  to  all  their  dues, 
tribute  to  whom  tribute  is  due,"§§5  "being  subject  to 
principalities  and  powers,  obeying  magistrates,  and  being 
ready  to  every  good  work."||l||| 

This  may  be  considered  as  comprehending  the  general 

*  2  Tim.  ii.  15  1 1  Thess.  v.  12, 13.  t  Eph.  v.  25. 

§  1  Pet.  iii.  7.  |1  Eph.  v.  22.  IT  1  Pet.  iii.  1,  4. 

**  Eph.  vi.  4.  n  Deut.  vi.  7.  |J  Prov.  xix.  18. 

$$  Exod.  XX.  12.  !li|  Col.  iii.  20.  ITir  Col.  iv.  1. 

***  Eph.  vi.  5,  6.  ttt  2  Sam.  xxiii.  3.  ttt  I  Tim.  ii.  1,  2. 

m  Rom.  xiii.  7.  IHllI  Tiius,  iii.  1 


A    TREATISE    ON^    PRAYER.  69 

course  of  Petition  in  private,  morning-  and  evening".  There 
are,  however,  occasional  and  special  seasons  when  we  need 
the  help  of  God,  and  should  obtain  it  by  more  than  ordinary- 
diligence  in  prayer. 

Have  you  by  any  sermon  you  have  heard,  or  in  any  other 
way,  been  led  to  feel  that  you  are  yet  unconverted  ?  give 
a  stated  time  to  pray  for  conversion.  Have  you  backslidden 
from  God  ?  give  more  time  than  ordinary  to  ask  of  God  to 
heal  and  restore  you :  "  remember  from  vvhence  thou  art 
fallen;  repent,  and  do  the  first  works."  Are  all  your 
Christian  graces  drooping,  languishing,  and  ready  to  die  } 
seek,  in  a  special  season  of  prayer,  that  gi*ace  of  God, 
which  can  alone  quicken  and  restore  them  to  primitive 
vigor  and  beauty.  Are  you  about  to  receive  the  Lord's 
supper!  prepare  for  it  by  retirement,  meditation,  self- 
examination,  and  much  prayer.  Are  you  in  any  respect 
changing  your  circumstances  or  situation,  or  about  to  un- 
dertake any  important  work]  here  is  a  call  on  you  to  seek 
wisdom  of  God.  Remember  the  example  which  our  Lord 
iias  left  us.  Before  he  chose  his  twelve  Apostles,  "he 
went  out  into  a  mountain  to  pray,  and  continued  all  night 
m  prayer  to  God."*  Should  you  be  in  great  distress  either 
of  body  or  mind,  imitate  also  his  example  :  retire  from  the 
world  as  he  did  to  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  to  pour  out 
the  heart  in  secret  prayer.  Express  your  wants  to  God  in 
the  same  simple  manner  that  Jacob  did  in  his  distress.f 

In  short,  new  and  peculiar  circumstances  require  us,  if 
we  would  escape  temptation,  danger,  and  sin,  to  be  then 
more  instant  in  seeking  aid  of  God.  And  we  may  appeal 
to  the  experience  of  Christians,  that  when  they  have  done 
so,  all  has  gone  on  well ;  difficulties  have  been  removed,  or 
they  have  been  carried  comfortably  through  them ;  the 
grace  of  God  has  been  magnified  in  their  weakness. 

Our  petitions  should  be  enforced  by  such  arguments  as 
we  can  use.  Of  this  part  of  prayer,  called  pleading,  we 
nave  perpetual  examples  in  the  word  of  God.  The  conclu- 
sion of  the  Lord's  prayer,  exemplifies  its  importance,  and 
shows  that  the  most  powerful  pleas  we  can  urge,  are  to  be 
drawn  from  the  attributes  and  perfections  of  God.  Humble, 
holy,  and  earnest  pleading  with  our  God,  tends  to  make  the 
desire  more  fervent,  and  to  strengthen  our  faith.    Observe 

*  Luite  vL  12.  t  Gen-  xsxii  9,  12. 


70  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

how  Moses  pleads,*  liow  Joshua  entreats,t  how  Jehoshaphat 
lays  the  whole  case  before  God.| 

But  let  not  our  prayers  be  selfish,  or  confined  to  our  own 
wants ;  Christians  are  "  fellow  members  of  one  body,"  all 
the  members  of  which  should  ever  care  for  each  other. 
Christians  are  the  "  salt  of  the  earth,"  and  should  by  their 
intercessions  procure  its  safety  and  happiness.  We  pro- 
ceed, then,  to  consider  another  part  of  our  prayers. 

III.  INTERCESSION. 

T7ie  Church  of  Christ,  in  g-eneral,  throughout  the  world, 
should  have  the  first  place  in  our  intercessions.  We  should 
"  pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem,"^  that  "  grace"  may  "  be 
with  all  them  that  love  the  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity ,"11  that 
all  that  believe  in  him  may  "  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  with 
one  mind  striving  together  for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel."ir 

We  should  also  especially  pray  for  the  blessing  of  God 
on  that  particular  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ  to  which 
we  individually  belong.  As  members  of  the  Church  of 
England,  let  us  ask  "  that  it  may  please  God  to  illuminate 
all  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons,  with  true  knowledge  and 
understanding  of  his  word,  and  that  both  by  their  preach- 
ing and  living  they  may  set  it  forth  and  show  it  accord- 
ingly." The  ministers  under  whom  you  are  instructed  have 
a  particular  claim  to  your  prayers,  that  they  may  be  "  able 
ministers  of  the  New  Testament."  Dr.  Owen  remarks  or 
this  subject,  "  The  prayers  of  the  meanest  saints  may  be 
useful  to  the  greatest  apostle,  both  with  respect  to  their 
persons  and  the  discharge  of  their  office."  Hence  it  was 
usual  with  the  apostle  to  desire  the  prayers  of  tlie  churches 
to  whom  he  wrote.**  For  in  mutual  prayer  for  each  other 
consists  one  principal  part  of  the  communion  of  saints, 
wherein  they  are  helpfiil  to  one  another  in  all  times,  places, 
and  conditions.  It  is  the  especial  duty  of  the  church  to 
pray  for  them  who  are  eminently  useful  in  the  work  of  the 
ministry. 

The  increase  of  faithful  ministers  generally  should  be   / 

*  Exod.  xxxii.  11,  13.  t  Josh.  vii.  8,  9. 

t  2  Chron.  xx.  6. 12.  $  Ps.  cxxii.  6. 

II  Eph.  vi.  24.  T  Phil.  i.  27. 

**  Heb.  xiii.  18;  2  Cor.  i.  11 ;  Ephes.  vi.  19;  Col.iv.  3;  2  Thesa 
lii.  1. 


A    TREATISE    ON"    PRAYER.  71 

constantly  insisted  on ;  "  pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest, 
that  lie  would  send  forth  laborers  into  his  vineyard,"  that  he 
would  give  the  word,  and  great  may  be  the  company  of 
preachers,* 

The  enlargement  of  the  Church  of  Christ  should  be 
another  topic  to  be  much  broug-ht  forward.  We  should 
pray  for  the  conversion  of  the  Jews,  that  at  length  the  veil 
may  be  removed  from  their  eyes,  and  they  may  behold  the 
g-lory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  "  look  unto" 
him  "  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  mourn," 

The  Gentiles  require  our  prayers.  "  Ask  of  me,  and  I 
will  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  ut- 
termost parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession,"  is  the  prom- 
ise made  to  Christ,  and  in  him  to  the  church.  While  we 
pray,  then,  that  all  Israel  may  be  saved,  we  should  also 
pray  that  God  would  bring  in  "  the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles, 
that  the  earth  may  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the 
glory  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

The  nation  to  which  we  belong,  should  have  our  prayers ; 
that  we  may  be  a  people  "  fearing  God  and  working  right- 
eousness." We  are  taught  to  pray  "for  kings,  and  all  in 
authority."!  We  should  ask,  also,  that  God  would  "  in- 
struct our  magistrates,  and  teach  our  senators  wisdom  ;"| 
that  "judgment  may  run  dov/n  as  waters,  and  righteous- 
ness as  a  mighty  stream  ;"§  that  there  may  be  peace  on 
earth"  and  "good  will  towards  men."  Our  national  sin.s, 
our  national  wants,  and  our  national  mercies,  will  furnish 
the  best,  the  only  true  patriot,  the  Christian,  with  abundant 
matter  for  prayer. 

The  dear  and  interesting  family  circle  of  parents,  bro- 
thers, sisters,  wife,  children,  servants,  Christian  friends, 
("brethren  and  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh,"!!)  and  your 
neighbors,  and  connexions,  will  daily  be  gathered  and  as- 
sembled before  the  throne  of  grace,  will  be  included  in  the 
comprehensive  and  efifectionate  embrace  of  Christian  pray- 
er. "  Though  there  be  no  reason,"  says  JMr.  Fuller,  "  why 
God  should  save  our  children,  relations,  or  friends,  before 
others,  yet  there  is  a  reason  why  we  should  seek  their  sal- 
vation, because  they  are  particularly  put  under  our  care, 
or  stand  in  connexion  with  us."     David's  prayer  for  his 

*  Ps.  Ixviii.  11,  1 1  Tim.  ii.  2.  t  Ps,  cv.  22. 

$  Amos,  V,  24  U  Rom.  ix.  3 


72  A   TREATISE   ON    PRATER. 

house  is  suitable  for  heads  of  familiel? :  "  therefore  now  let 
it  please  thee  to  bless  the  house  of  thy  servant,  that  it  may 
continue  for  ever  before  thee ;  for  thou,  O  Lord,  hast  spoken 
it ;  and  with  thy  blessing  let  the  house  of  thy  servant  be 
blessed  for  ever." 

The  expansive  benevolence  of  true  intercession  will  also 
lead  you  to  remember  your  enemies,  blessing  thera  that 
curse  and  revile  you,  and  domg-  the  best  good  to  those  that 
hate  you  most.  The  duty  of  praying  for  any  with  whom 
we  may  unfortunately,  from  whatever  cause,  be  at  enmity, 
is  very  important.  It  prepares  us  to  receive  ill  treatment 
in  a  right  spirit ;  to  be  very  slow  to  suspect  others  of  de- 
signing an  injury ;  and,  when  their  design  is  evident,  it 
dispones  us  to  return  good  for  eviL  O,  if  every  Christian 
did  but  pray  for  others,  instead  of  returning  evil  for  evil, 
and  coldness,  suspicion,  and  jealousy,  for  fancied  injuries, 
what  a  change  it  would  produce  in  the  state  of  the  world  1 

The  circumstances  of  others  should  be  considered.  Are 
any  afflicted  in  mind,  body,  or  estate  ]  we  should  "  weep 
with  those  that  weep,"  and  pray  that  the  chastening,  how- 
ever grievous  now,  may  "  yield  the  peaceable  fruits  of 
righteousness  to  them  that  are  exercised  thereby  ;"*  that 
they  may  find  God  '•  a  present  help  in  time  of  trouble  ;"i 
and  that  their  affliction  may  work  out  for  them  "  a  far  more 
exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 

Some  may  be  "  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins ;"  others  just 
beginning  to  know  the  truth  ;  others  "  weak  in  the  faith ;" 
others  backsliding ;  and  some  happy  few  "  strong  in  the 
Lord."  You  will  find  a  blessing  to  your  own  soul,  in  spread- 
ing their  several  cases  and  circumstances  before  God  in 
prayer  and  praise. 

You  may  not  be  able  every  day  to  dwell  on  all  these 
things,  however  desirable  it  may  be  not  wholly  to  omit 
them.  The  example  of  an  eminent  servant  of  Christ,  (the 
Rev.  Mr.  Romaine,)  may  here  be  recommended.  "  He 
devoted  two  hours  every  Friday  to  particular  intercession 
with  God  for  his  friends.  He  had  their  names  written 
down  on  paper,  and  used  to  walk  about  his  room,  mention- 
ing them  one  by  one,  and  specifying  their  wants  as  far  as 
he  knew  them,  with  earnest  supplication." 

The  duty  of  praying  for  friends  is  so  important,  that  it 

*Heb.xu.  11  tPs.xlvLl 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  73 

ealls  for  particular  notice ;  especially  when  we  consider, 
now  little  in  general  we  lay  to  heart  the  state  of  our  un- 
converted relatives  and  friends,  and  their  tremendous  ex- 
posure to  the  divine  wrath.  Let  us  remember  how  keen 
will  be  the  anguish  on  the  death  of  a  relation  for  whom  no 
prayer  nor  exertion  has  been  made ;  and  how  it  will  grieve 
us  that  many  precious  opportunities  have  been  lost.  While 
on  the  other  hand,  by  a  constant  practice  of  intercession, 
we  may  become  emboldened  to  perform,  in  a  Christian 
spirit,  the  difficult  duties  of  solemn  warning,  reproof,  and  a 
full  and  free  declaration  of  their  danger.  Remember  that 
Job's  prayers  for  his  friends  were  to  be  peculiarly  prevalent. 
God  declares,  "  My  servant  Job  shall  pray  for  you,  for  him 
will  I  accept"* 

The  Scriptures  furnish  us  with  many  affecting  examples 
of  intercessory  prayer,  as  Daniel  for  his  country  ;t  St 
Paul  for  the  churches  of  Christ ;  and  our  Lord  for  his 
enemies,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do." 

Bishop  Hall  makes  the  following  encouraging  remarks 
on  intercessory  prayer  :  "  Every  Christian  freely  lays  him- 
self out  by  prayer  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellow  members, 

*  Job,  xlii.  8. 

A  practice  of  Col.  Gardiner's,  is  worthy  of  our  remembrance. 
Doddridge  says,  when  he  received  a  letter  from  any  of  his  Chris- 
tian friends  which  particularly  affected  his  heart,  he  could  not  stay 
till  the  stated  return  of  his  devotional  hour,  but  immediately  re- 
tired to  pray  for  them,  and  to  give  vent  to  those  religious  emotions 
of  mind,  which  such  a  correspondence  raised.  How  invaluable 
was  such  a  friend  !  Mr.  Shep|pard,in  his  valuable  "  Thoughts  on 
Private  Devotion,"  after  stating  the  importance  of  daily  though 
brief  intercession  for  those  jnost  near  and  dear,  gives  the  follow- 
ing useful  hint.  "  With  respect  to  other  friends,  it  seems  most 
natural  and  expedient,  that  our  prayers  should  be  but  occasional, 
in  order  that  they  may  then  be  the  more  prolonged.  There  are 
few,  even  of  our  best  friends,  whom  we  can  visit  daily.  How  happy 
would  some  be,  if  they  could  meet  even  yearly !  But  if  we  made 
it  a  rule  of  piety  and  kindness  daily  to  offer  up  particular  inter- 
cession for  one  individual,  or  one  household,  and  thus  successively 
for  each,  these  secret  visits  of  the  heart  would  in  many  instances  be 
far  more  frequent  than  our  personal  intercourse  can  be.  Amidst 
the  inclemency  of  winter,  or  in  the  chamber  of  sickness,  we  might 
still  make  the  swift  excursions,  and  offer  the  best,  though  un- 
heard salutations  of  Christian  affection."  See  page  193  and  194,  2d 
Edition. 

t  Dan.  ix. 

G 


74  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Each  member  of  Christ's  church  sues  for  all.  Neither 
can  any  one  be  shut  out  from  partaking  the  benefit  of  the 
prayers  of  all  God's  saints  upon  earth.  There  is  a  certain 
spiritual  traffic  of  piety  betwixt  all  God's  children  ;  wherein 
they  exchange  prayers  with  each  other,  not  regarding-  num- 
ber so  much  as  weight.  Am  I  weak  in  spirit  and  faint  in 
my  supplications  1  I  have  no  less  share  in  the  most  fervent 
prayers  of  the  holiest  suppliants,  than  in  my  own  :  all  the 
vigor  that  is  in  the  most  ardent  hearts,  supplies  my  defects : 
while  there  is  life  in  their  faithful  devotions,  I  cannot  go 
away  unblessed." 

The  more  religion  advances  in  our  hearts,  the  more  time 
we  shall  be  disposed  to  give  to  intercession  ;  which  as  it  is 
the  most  disinterested  and  benevolent  part  of  Christian 
prayer,  so  it  most  likens  us  to  our  Divine  Master.  The 
Christian  has  sometimes  found  the  presence  of  God,  and 
enjoyed  that  communion  with  him,  in  this  part  of  his  devo- 
tions, which  he  in  vain  sought  for  in  confession,  petition,  or 
praise."* 

After  confessing  our  sins,  and  praying  for  future  bless- 
ings for  ourselves  and  for  others,  and  after  expressing  our 
confidence  of  obtaining  our  requests  by  our  experience  of 
former  mercies,  we  ought  to  be  naturally  led  to  acknow- 
ledge those  mercies  and  blessings  which  we  have  already 
received. 

IV.    THANKSGIVING. 

Prayer  and  praise  have  been  compared  to  respiration. 
By  prayer  the  Christian  draws  in  a  happy  life  from  hea- 
ven ;  and  by  praise  he  breathes  it  back  again  to  him  wli'v 
gave  it. 

When  the  heart  is  right  with  God,  and  he  opens  our 
"  lips  to  show  forth  his  praise,"  thanksgiving  is  a  truly  de- 
lightful part  of  our  devotion.  And  here  what  a  bound- 
less subject  opens  before  us  !  That  "  the  high  and  lofty 
One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,"  should  condescend  to  be 
mindful  of  man,  and  visit  him,  may  well  excite  our  adoring 
wonder  and  praise. 

How  numerous  are  our  temporal  bier  sings  !    Our  crea- 


♦  Prayers  for  the  dead  are  plainly  contrary  to  various  statements 
in  God's  word,  and  the  express  doctrine  of  tt  Church  of  England. 
See  the  Homily  on  Prayer. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  75 

tion,  our  education,  our  daily  preservation,  the  repose  of 
the  night,  and  the  strength  given  for  the  day,  demand  con- 
tinued and  persevering  praise. 

God  has  given  us  a  soul  capable  of  knowing,  loving,  and 
rejoicing  in  him  through  all  eternity.  He  has  given  us  a 
body  by  vi^hich  we  may  serve  and  glorify  him.  You  have, 
perhaps,  the  free  use  of  every  member  of  your  body,  the 
enjoyment  of  every  sense,  and  the  full  possession  of  every 
faculty  of  your  mind ;  and  do  not  these  or  any  of  them,  call 
for  your  grateful  acknowledgments  ? 

He  gives  you  kind  friends,  and  favor  with  them.  He 
furnishes  you  with  that  provision  from  day  to  day,  which  is 
needful  for  you :  bread  to  eat,  clothes  to  cover  you,  a  house 
in  which  to  dwell,  and  a  fire  to  warm  you.  He  makes 
peace  in  your  borders,  so  that  no  evil  befalls  you,  and  gives 
you  health  and  strength.  Or  if  in  any  thing  it  be  other- 
wise, he  does  not  afflict  us  for  his  pleasure,  but  "  for  our 
profit,  that  we  may  be  partakers  of  his  holiness ;"  and  in 
any  case,  you  are  yet  "  the  living,  the  living  to  praise  him." 

What  numberless  temporal  blessings  do  these  things 
comprehend,  and  how  astonishing  is  the  mercy  by  which 
they  are  granted,  and  continued  to  sinful  and  rebellious 
creatures !  "  O  that  men  would  therefore  praise  the  Lord 
for  his  goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  chil- 
dren of  men  !"* 

Yet  how  small  are  these  when  compared  with  spiritual 
blessings!  "Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  v/ho  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  blessings 
in  heavenly  things  in  Christ.  He  is  the  channel,  through 
which  the  rich  stream  of  mercy  flows  unto  us ;  and,  how 
needful,  how  invaluable,  are  those  blessings  which  he  pro- 
cures and  bestows  ! 

"  We  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness 
of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace."  Hereby  the 
almighty,  holy,  and  righteous  God,  who  has  declared  that 
he  "  will  not  acquit  the  guilty,"  is  yet  "just  and  faithful  to 
forgive  us  our  sins."  And  shall  we  not  praise  Him  who 
sent  his  Son  to  die  for  man '?  and  Him,  who  "  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners  ]"  In  Christ,  God  is  our  portion,  and 
all  his  perfections  are  engaged  to  supply  our  wants,  and 
make  us  happy. 

*  Ps.  cvii.  8. 


76  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Mark  the  first  beginnings  and  the  progress  of  this  happy 
state. — "  God  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  that  we  should  be  holy  and  without  blame 
before  him  in  love  ;"*  and  "  in  the  fullness  of  time  he  sent 
forth  his  Son,"  and  we  were  redeemed  by  his  precious 
blood,  "  who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all." 

Then,  through  his  mercy,  we  were  "  called  with  an  holy 
calling,  not  according  to  our  works,  but  according  to  his 
own  purpose  and  grace :"  and,  "  turned  from  darkness  to 
light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  we  have 
been  justified  freely  by  his  grace,  that  we  might  be  made 
heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life." 

Again,  as  one  of  his  people,  you  have  been  sanctified  by 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  "  made  meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light."  For  this  end  God  has  given  you  his  word, 
his  ministers,  his  sacraments,  and  intercourse  with  his  peo- 
ple ;  all  the  means  of  grace,  and  his  Spirit  to  make  those 
means  efficient.  Is  it  nothing  that  you  were  born  and  live 
in  a  Christian  land,  "  the  land  of  Goshen,"  the  land  of  spirit- 
vial,  as  well  as  earthly  freedom,  peace,  and  joy  ]  What 
mercies  are  included  in  these  things ! 

You  have  also  in  Christ,  "  the  hope  of  glory ;"  the  lively, 
the  assured  hope  of  future  glory:  of  an  "inheritance  incor- 
ruptible, undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in 
heaven  for  you."  Well  may  we  say  with  David,  "His 
mercy  endureth  for  ever  !" 

And,  if  you  cannot  feel  that  you  enjoy  any  of  these 
spiritual  mercies,  you  may  yet  be  thankful  for  the  forbear- 
ance and  long-suffering  of  God :  "  it  is  of  the  Lord's  mer- 
cies that  we  are  not  consumed,  because  his  compassions 
fail  not." 

These  are  general  mercies  common  to  all  Christians,  but 
each  one  has  received  special  and  peculiar  mercies,  an- 
swers to  prayers,  deliverances  from  danger,  trouble,  or  dis- 
tress, protection  in  journeyings;  strength  and  grace  for 
particular  occasions :  these  things  call  for  thanksgiving. 

And  with  these  mercies  to  ourselves.  Christian  benevo- 
lence and  sympathy  will  teach  us  also  to  "  rejoice  with 
them  that  do  rejoice,"  and  to  praise  God  for  his  mercies  to 
his  church  and  mankind  in  general :  for  that  bright  day  of 
mercy  in  which  we  live,  and  for  all  the  blessed  signs  of 

*  Eph.  i.  4. 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  77 

the  times  concerning  the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's 
kinfifdom  among  the  Heathen. 

Thus  shall  we  be  disposed,  in  reviewing  God's  mercies, 
to  say,  "  Many,  O  Lord,  my  God,  are  thy  wonderful  works 
which  thou  hast  done,  and  thy  thoughts  which  are  to  us- 
ward :  they  cannot  be  reckoned  up  in  order  to  thee.  If  I 
would  declare  and  speak  of  them,  they  are  more  than  can 
oe  numbered."*  "Blessed  be  the  Lord  God,  the  God  of 
Israel,  who  only  doth  wondrous  thmgs,  and  blessed  be  his 
glorious  name  for  ever,  and  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled 
with  his  glory." 

Yet  we  must  say  with  the  son  of  Sirach,  of  this  duty  of 
praising  our  God — "  We  may  speak  much,  and  yet  come 
short;  wherefore,  in  sum.  He  is  all. — When  ye  glorify 
God,  exalt  him  as  much  as  you  can,  for  even  yet  will  he 
far  exceed :  and  when  ye  exalt  him,  put  forth  all  your 
strength,  and  be  not  weary:  for  ye  can  never  go  far  enough. 
— Who  can  magnify  Him  as  he  is  1" 

How  much  do  we  neglect,  or  how  coldly  do  we  practise 
the  duty  of  thanksgiving  !  In  reading  the  107th  Psalm  we 
may  observe  how  readily  in  trouble  all  cry  to  God,  without 
exhortation ;  but  when  delivered  from  their  trouble,  they 
need  to  be  earnestly  invited  to  thankfulness.  Yet  it  is 
often  enjoined ;  we  are  called  to  it  by  the  daily  providence 
of  God  ;  in  nothing  do  we  enjoy  God  more  fully  and  prop- 
erly ;  the  discharge  of  it  prepares  for  greater  mercies,  the 
neglect  of  it  brings  just  rebukes;  and  it  is  an  excellent 
preparation  for  heaven,  w^here  the  songs  of  joyful  praise 
are  ever  ascending  to  the  Father  of  mercies. 

Let  us  then  say  with  David,  "  While  I  live  will  I  praise 
the  Lord,  I  will  sing  praises  unto  my  God  while  I  have  my 
being." 

I  '11  praise  my  Maker  with  my  breath ; 
And  when  my  voice  is  lost  in  death, 

Praise  shall  employ  my  noblest  powers 
My  days  of  praise  shall  ne'er  be  past, 
While  life,  and  thought,  and  being  last, 

Or  immortality  endures. 

We  should  keep  a  list  of  the  more  remarkable  mercies 
which  we  have  received  from  our  earliest  years,  and  fre^ 
quently  review  it.    If  a  person  be  dwelling  perpetually  on: 

♦Ps.  xl.5;  cxxxix.  17,  la 
G2 


78  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

his  wants,  he  cannot  be  thankful ;  but  a  catalog-ue  of  the 
blessings  which  God  has  bestowed  upon  him,  often  reviewed, 
would  sweeten  the  spirit,  and  tend  to  fill  him  with  grati- 
tude and  love. 

Thanksgiving,  as  well  as  every  other  part  of  prayer, 
must  be  offered  up  in  the  name  of  Christ,  acknowledging 
that  all  our  blessings  flow  through  him,*  and  expecting  the 
acceptance  of  our  praise  only  on  the  ground  of  his  media- 
tion.t 

It  will  not  be  possible  or  advisable  to  dwell  on,  or  enume- 
rate all  the  particulars  that  have  been  mentioned  in  every 
prayer  which  we  make.  Yet  the  leading  subjects,  and  the 
amplifying  of  those  parts  with  which  your  hearts  are  most 
affected,  will  form  the  substance  of  your  prayers,  in  "  letting 
your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God,  by  prayer  and 
supplication,  with  thanksgiving." 

There  is  a  happy  connexion  between  all  the  parts  of 
prayer ;  and  the  full  discharge  of  one  leads  on  to  another. 
It  may  be  thus  illustrated.  By  an  ingenious  contrivance 
near  some  of  the  collieries,  and  in  other  places,  where  the 
ground  allows  of  it,  the  full  and  empty  carriages  or  vessels 
being  connected  together,  those  which  have  been  emptied, 
are  from  time  to  time  raised  up  an  ascent,  by  the  descend- 
ing of  those  that  have  been  filled.  In  this  way  let  the  de- 
scent of  God's  mercies,  and  the  gifts  bestowed  on  us  out  of 
his  fullness,  in  answer  to  former  prayer,  raise  your  empty 
vessels  to  receive  again  and  again,  from  his  inexhaustible 
treasury,  all  that  you  need.  Say,  with  David,  "  Because  he 
hath  inclined  his  ear  unto  me,  therefore  will  I  call  upon 
him  as  long  as  I  live." 

It  may  be  advantageous  not  always  to  confine  yourselves 
to  the  same  parts  of  worship,  or  the  same  order.  Watts  enu 
merates  the  following  eight  parts  of  prayer :  Invocation, 
Adoration,  Confession,  Petition,  Pleading,  Self-dedication 
Thanksgiving,  and  Blessing. 

We  may  occasionally  be  assisted  in  our  devotion  by  thes 
more  extended  and  enlarged  parts  and  divisions ;  only  take 
heed,  lest  in  the  use  of  them,  our  prayers  should  become 
too  artificial,  and  be  merely  the  work  of  the  head  instead 
of  the  feeling  of  the  heart.     Yet  Watts  justly  observes, 


*  Eph.  i.  3.  t  Col.  iii.  17. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  79 

that  if  young  Christians  did  not  give  themselves  up  to  a 
loose  habit  of  speaking  what  is  uppermost,  but  attempted 
to  learn  the  holy  skill  of  prayer,  by  a  recollection  of  its 
several  parts,  and  disposing  their  thoughts  into  a  suitable 
method,  they  would  be  more  successful  in  attaining  this 
great  gift. 

These  parts  of  prayer  will  be  more  plain  by  the  follow- 
ing example  of  each  part  from  the  Scriptures. 

INVOCATION. 

"  Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my  cry,  my  King  and  my 
God,  for  unto  thee  will  I  pray." 

ADORATION. 

"  Thou  art  God,  and  none  else ;  thy  name  alone  is  Jeho- 
vah,  the  Most  High — Holy,  holy,  holy  Lord  God  Almighty, 
which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come." 

CONFESSION. 

"  I  acknowledge  my  transgression,  and  my  sin  is  ever 
before  me.  Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and 
done  this  evil  ui  thy  sight." 

PETITION. 

"  Hide  thy  face  from  my  sins,  and  blot  out  all  my  iniqui- 
ties. Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God ;  renew  a  right 
spirit  within  me. 

"  Cause  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  sanctuary." 

PLEADING. 

"  For  thy  mercies'  sake,  O  Lord,  save  me.  Our  fathers 
cried  unto  thee,  and  were  delivered." 

SELF-DEDICATION. 

"  I  will  delight  myself  in  thy  commandments,  which  I 
have  loved.  I  have  sworn,  and  I  will  perform  it,  that  I 
will  keep  thy  righteous  judgments."  - 

THANKSGIVING. 

"  My  mouth  shall  praise  thee  with  joyful  lips. 
"  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy 
name,  who  forgiveth  all  thy  sins,  who  healeth  all  thy  dis- 


80  A    TREAIISE   ON    PRAYER. 

eases,  who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction,  and  crown- 
eth  thee  with  lovinor  kindness  and  tender  mercies." 


"  Blessed  be  his  glorious  name  for  ever. 

"  Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible,  the 
only  wise  God,  be  honor  and  glory,  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen." 

O  that  every  reader  might  be  inclined,  and  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  enabled,  to  enter  on  a  full  and  enlarged  practice  of 
private  prayer  !  A  continual  spirit  of  devotion  is  the  high- 
est attainment  of  man ;  it  is  the  root  which  draws  up  the 
sap  and  life  of  the  tree  of  righteousness,  and  thus  causes  it 
to  bring  forth  all  that  fruit  which  glorifies  God  and  bene- 
fits man.  Hence,  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentle- 
ness, goodness,  meekness,  faith,  and  temperance,  all  godli- 
ness, and  all  true  excellence.  Believe  me,  it  will  be  worth 
many  sacrifices  and  struggles  to  gain  the  spirit  of  prayer, 
guarding  against  trusting  in  your  own  strength  and  self- 
righteousness,  and  remembering,  in  prayer  we  put  off  our 
own  righteousness  and  pride,  our  wisdom  and  riches,  and 
confess  our  sinfulness  and  poverty.*  We  shall  then  find 
constant  prayer  bring  in  the  richest  return  of  all  our  labors 
and  employments. 

While  this  account  of  the  various  parts  of  prayer  haa 
been  given,  it  is  readily  admitted  that  the  purest  private 
prayer  is  above  form  and  method.  It  is  the  expression  of 
a  full  heart,  pouring  out  the  inmost  desires  of  the  soul  be- 
fore God,  in  the  most  natural  and  obvious  words. 

It  was  a  saying  of  the  Martyr  Bradford,  "  that  he  would 
never  leave  a  duty,  till  he  had  brought  his  heart  into  the 
frame  of  the  duty ;  he  would  not  leave  confession  of  sin, 
till  his  heart  was  broken  for  sin ;  he  would  not  leave  pe- 
titioning for  grace,  till  his  heart  was  quickened  and  enli- 
vened in  a  hopeful  expectation  of  more  grace ;  he  would 
not  leave  the  rendering  of  thanks,  till  his  heart  was  en- 
larged with  the  sense  of  the  mercies  which  he  enjoyed, 
and  quickened  in  the  return  of  praise." 

*  "  Prayer  is  a  sweet  travelling  and  trafficking  of  the  soul  betwixt 
emptiness  and  fullness,  betwixt  wai;t  and  all-sufficiency,  and  betwixt 
our  inability  to  help  ourselves  and  his  ability  to  help  us." — A.  Gray, 
on  Prayer. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  81 

And  surely  every  part  ot  our  duty,  as  it  is  brought  before 
us  in  the  word  of  God,  shows  us  both  our  guilt  and  our 
weakness.  But  still  the  perfection  of  that  rule  must  be 
declared.  It  is  calculated  to  stimulate  us  to  higher  efforts, 
and  to  humble  us  in  lower  prostration  of  soul,  under  a  sense 
of  our  so  frequently  coming  short  of  the  mark  set  before  us. 

Sect.  IV. — Brief  Observations  on  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

The  Prayer  which  our  Lord  gave  to  his  disciples  is  not 
only  a  perfect  form  of  prayer,  but  also  an  admirable  pat- 
tern and  guide.  It  is  in  one  place  introduced  to  our  no- 
tice, thus,  "  When  ye  pray,  say,"*  and  in  another,  "  After 
this  manner  pray  ye."f  It  is  so  full  and  comprehensive, 
that  we  generally  find,  after  our  longest  prayers,  that  there 
is  something  asked  for  in  the  Lord's  prayer,  which  we  had 
not  before  requested. 

Its  method  is  simple  and  clear.     It  consists  of  three 
parts : 
g     I,  An  Introduction^  expressmg  the  goodness  and  great- 
ness of  Him  to  whom  we  speak. 

*'  Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven." 

n.  Six  Petitions,  three  of  which  have  a  more  imme- 
diate respect  to  the  glory  of  God. 

1.  "  Hallowed  be  thy  name. 

2.  Thy  kingdom  come. 

3.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven." 

And  the  three  remaining,  more  immediately  respect  our 
own  personal  wants ;  temporal  and  spiritual. 

1.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread. 

2.  And  forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them 

that  trespass  against  us. 

3.  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from 

evil." 
The  four  first  of  these  petitions,  are  for  the  obtaining  of 
good,  and  the  two  last  for  the  averting  of  evil. 

III.  A  Conclusion,  not  only  acknowledging  the  perfec- 
tions of  God,  but  most  powerfully  pleading  them  as  a  reason 
why  our  prayers  should  be  heard. 

*  Luke  xi.  2.  t  Matt.  vi.  9. 


82  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

"  For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the 
glory,  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen." 

Every  part  of  prayer  is  comprehended  in  this  pattern. 

Confession  is  plainly  implied  in  every  request,  for  the 
requests  suppose  either  our  weakness  or  our  sinfulness  in 
the  particulars  desired. 

FetUion  forms  the  main  substance  of  this  prayer. 

Intercession  is  also  involved  in  the  whole ;  in  the  three 
first  petitions  more  directly,  and  in  the  remaining  petitions 
by  their  being  in  the  plural  number — give  us, — forgive  us, 
— lead  us,  &c. 

Thanksgiving  is  expressed  in  the  conclusion,  and  there 
is  in  the  petitions  an  implied  acknowledgment  of  all  the 
great  perfections  of  God. 

This  prayer  is  too  generally  used  as  a  vain  repetition. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  at  the  very  time  our  Lord  gave 
it,  he  expressly  warned  his  disciples  against  vain  repetitions.* 

Many  things  may  be  learned  respecting  prayer,  from 
this  pattern.  ^ 

1.  The  filial  confidence  and  reverence  with  which  we 

ought  to  approach  God. 

2.  The  expediency  of  method  and  order  in  our  prayers. 

3.  The  necessity  of  seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God 

and  his  righteousness. 

4.  The  lawfulness  of  then  asking  for  temporal  blessings. 

5.  The  importance  of  the  temper  in  which  we  pray :  an 

unforgiving  temper  obtains  not  God's  forgiveness. 

6.  The  duty  of  praying  much  for  others. 

7.  The  excellence  of  simplicity  of  expression. 

8.  The  powerful  pleas  with  which  we  may  urge  our  pe- 

titions. 
In  this  prayer  we  are  not  taught  to  ask  in  the  name  of 
Christ ;  and  the  reason  may  be,  that  when  it  was  given, 
Christ's  atonement  had  not  actually  taken  place,  nor  his 
mtercession  as  a  risen  Savior  begun.  Therefore  our  Lord 
says,  "  hitherto  ye  have  asked  nothing  in  my  name — at 
that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name."f 

Sect.  VII. — On  answers  to  Prayer. 

Our  too  general  neglect  of  looking  for  answers  to  what 
we  ask,  shows  how  little  we  are  in  earnest  in  our  peti- 

*  Matt,  vi  7.  t  John  xvi.  2a 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  83 

tions.  "  None  ask  in  earnest,"  says  Trail,  "  but  they  will 
try  how  they  speed.  There  is  no  surer  and  plainer  mark 
of  trifling  in  prayer,  than  when  men  are  careless  what  they 
get  by  prayer." — A  husbandman  is  not  content  without  the 
harvest ;  a  marksman  will  observe  whether  the  ball  hits  the 
target;  a  physician  watches  the  effect  of  the  medicine 
which  he  gives ;  one  who  writes  or  applies  to  another  for 
any  temporal  good  eagerly  expects  the  answer ;  and  shall 
the  Christian  be  careless  about  the  effect  of  his  labor? 

Every  prayer  of  the  Christian,  made  in  faith  according 
to  the  will  of  God,  for  that  which  God  hath  promised,  of- 
fered up  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  under  the  influ- 
ence of  his  Spirit,  whether  for  temporal  or  for  spiritual 
blessings,  is,  or  will  be,  fully  answered.  God  always  an* 
Bwers  the  general  design  and  intention  of  his  people's 
prayers,  in  doing  that  which,  all  things  considered,  is  most 
for  his  own  glory,  and  their  spiritual  and  eternal  welfare. 
As  we  never  find  that  Jesus  Christ  rejected  a  single  sup- 
plicant who  came  to  him  for  mercy ;  so  we  believe  that  no 
prayer  made  in  his  name  will  be  in  vain.  "  The  answer 
of  prayer  may  be  approaching,  though  we  discern  not  its 
coming.  The  seed  in  winter  that  lies  under  ground,  is 
taking  root  in  order  to  a  spring  and  harvest,  though  it  ap- 
pear not  above  ground,  but  seems  dead  and  lost." 

The  time,  or  the  mode  of  granting  the  request  may  vary 
indeed  from  our  wishes ;  but  yet  the  prayer  made  as  above 
stated  is  heard,  the  desire  so  put  up  is  fulfilled. 

Bishop  Taylor  observes,  "As  for  those  irregular  dona- 
tions of  good  things  which  wicked  persons  ask  for,  and 
have,  they  are  either  no  mercies,  but  instruments  of  curs- 
ing and  crime ;  or  else  they  are  designs  of  grace,  intended 
to  convince  them  of  their  unworthiness,  and  so,  if  they  be- 
come not  instruments  of  their  conversion,  they  are  aggra- 
vations of  their  ruin." 

In  asking  for  spiritual  blessings,  for  repentance,  faith, 
humility,  holiness,  love,  &.c.  we  are  sure  of  having  the  par- 
ticular request,  for  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanc- 
tification.  Yet  in  these  things  the  way  of  granting  the  re- 
quest may,  at  first  sight,  seem  like  a  denial. 

Remarkable,  sometimes,  are  the  ways  in  which  prayers, 
for  spiritual  blessings  are  answered.  We  pray  for  an  in- 
crease of  faith,  patience,  resignation,  or  other  Christian 
graces :  and  our  trials,  instead  of  being  removed,  seem 


84  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

greatly  aggravated.  The  clouds  grow  darker  and  darker. 
But  the  secret  supports  of  the  Holy  Spirit  being  afforded, 
we  do  not  sink  under  our  burden.  And  in  the  midst  of  all 
these  trials,  the  very  things  which  we  asked  are  given. 
There  is  no  exercise  for  faith  when  all  is  smooth ;  no  room 
for  patience  and  resignation  when  there  is  no  suffering ; 
the  very  graces  which  we  sought,  need  difficulties,  sor- 
rows, and  trials,  in  order  to  be  manifested,  exercised,  and 
granted.  Often  the  very  sentence  of  death  is  put  upon  all 
our  hopes,  before  they  are  realized.  The  extremity  of  suf 
fering  is  the  point  of  our  deliverance.  Let  the  tried  Chris 
tian,  then,  attend  to  Cowper's  exhortation : 

Ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take ! 

The  clouds  ye  so  much  dread 
Are  big  with  mercy,  and  shall  break 

In  blessings  on  your  head. 

It  is  the  main  desire  of  every  Christian,  in  a  proper  state 
of  mind,  that  the  will  of  God  be  done ;  and  when  he  asks 
for  temporal  blessings,  he  does  it  with  full  purpose  of  heart, 
not  to  have  his  own  wishes  accomplished,  farther  than  as 
they  concur  with  the  will  of  God,  which  will,  he  is  assured, 
ever  designs  his  supreme  happiness.  "  Delight  thyself  in 
the  Lord,  and  he  will  give  thee  the  desire  of  thy  heart."  If 
you  are  really  delighting  in  the  Lord,  the  desire  of  your 
lieart  will  be  mainly  for  spiritual  things ;  and  for  temporal 
things  it  will  be  with  the  reservation,  "  thy  will  be  done." 
This  petition  whether  expressed,  or  only  understood,  may 
often  be  a  prayer  that  your  previous  requests  for  temporal 
good  may  not  be  granted,  and  thus  there  may  be  an  opposi- 
tion in  your  requests.  We  lose  not  by  the  denial  of  meaner 
petitions,  when  God  sets  them  aside  to  give  greater  bless- 
ings. This  appears  to  be  the  meaning  of  the  following  pas- 
sages. "  He  that  searcheth  the  hearts,  knoweth  what  is  the 
mind  of  the  Spirit,  because  he  maketh  intercession  for  the 
saints,  according  to  the  will  of  God."*  And  again,  "this  is 
the  confidence  that  we  have  in  him,  that  if  we  ask  any 
thing  according  to  his  will,  he  heareth  us.  And  if  we 
know  that  he  hear  us,  whatsoever  we  ask,  we  know  that 
we  have  the  petitions  that  we  desired  of  him."t  No 
Christian  wishes  for  the  answer  which  the  carnal  Israelites 

*  Rom.  viii.  27.  1 1  John,  v.  14, 15. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  85 

received.  "  He  gave  them  their  request,  but  sent  leanness 
into  their  soul."*  If  then  the  Christian  be  denied  the  par- 
ticular request,  his  real  prayers  may  receive  an  express  an- 
swer in  his  own  sanctification,  and  in  the  accomplishing  of 
God's  holy  w^ill ;  just  as  a  sick  man's  real  desire  is  accom- 
plished, if  he  be  ultimately  made  well,  even  though  the 
medicine  or  the  mode  of  cure  expose  him  to  the  things 
which  he  dislikes. 

But  perhaps  you  ask,  How  may  I  know  whether  my  pray- 
ers have  been  answered  or  not]  Sometimes  the  case  is  so 
obvious  that  it  cannot  be  mistaken — Jehoshaphat  prays,  and 
he  is  delivered  from  his  enemies ;  Ezekiah  prays,  and  he  is 
delivered  from  sickness ;  Jonah  prays,  and  he  is  delivered 
from  the  belly  of  the  whale ;  the  Church  prays,  and  Peter 
is  delivered  from  Herod.  The  following,  among  many 
others,  are  examples  of  answers  to  particular  requests. f 

At  other  times  prayers  are  answered,  rather  in  the  in- 
crease of  grace  to  bear  the  afflictions,  than  in  its  removal, 
as  in  the  case  of  Paul's  thorn  in  the  flesh.  "  There  are," 
says  Gee,  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Answer  of  Prayer,  "  four 
ways  of  God's  answering  prayers.  By  giving  the  things 
prayed  for  presently,]:  or  by  suspending  the  answer  for  a 
time,  and  giving  it  afterwards  ;5  or  by  withholdmg  that 
mercy  which  you  ask  from  you,  and  giving  you  a  much  bet- 
ter mercy  in  the  room  of  it;l|  or  lastly,  by  giving  you  pa- 
tience to  bear  the  loss  or  want  of  it."ir 

Many  examples,  in  modern  tunes,  might  be  given  of  an- 
swers to  prayer,  so  plain  that  they  cannot  be  mistaken.  In- 
deed, where  is  there  a  Christian  who  cannot,  from  his  own 
history,  bring  instances  of  this  I  The  prayers  of  the  Martyr 
Latimer,  and  their  answer,  are  very  observable.  There 
were  three  principal  matters  for  which  he  prayed ;  1st. 
That  God  would  give  him  grace  to  stand  to  his  doctrine  un- 
til death.  2d.  That  God  would  of  his  mercy  restore  his  Gos- 
pel to  England  once  again — repeating  and  insisting  on  the 
words  "once  again,"  as  though  he  had  seen  God  before 
him,   and   spoken  to  him  face   to  face.     3d.  That  God 

*  Ps.  cvi.  15. 

t  Gen.  XXV.  21 ;  1  Chron.  v.  20 ;  2  Chron.  xxxiii.  13;  Ezra,  viii.  23- 

t  Dan.  ix.  23.  $  Luke,  xviii.  7. 

II  Deut.  iii.  24,  compared  with  Deut.  xxxiv.  4,  5. 

T  2.  Cor.  xii.  9 

H 


S6  A    TREATISE   OJf    PRAYER. 

would  preserve  Elizabeth  ;  witli  many  tears  desiring-  God 
to  make  her  a  comfort  to  this  comfortless  realm  of  Eng- 
land. All  these  requests  were  most  fully  and  graciously 
answered.* 

The  increase  of  any  Christian  grace,  poverty  of  spirit, 
mourning  for  sin,  meekness,  hungering  and  thirsting  after 
righteousness,  quietness  of  mind,  perseverance  in  prayer,  is, 
to  the  real  Christian,  of  itself^  a  most  delightful  answer  to 
prayer.  Whatever  other  things  may  have  been  denied,  if 
these  are  given,  the  correspondhig  promises  are  secured  to 
you,  and  the  greatest  blessings  have  been  granted.  If  we 
can  say  with  David,  "  In  tlie  day  when  I  cried,  thou  an- 
eweredst  me,  and  strengthcnedst  me  with  strength  in  my 
soul,"t  we  may  see  the  prayer  answered  in  the  strength- 
ening of  the  soul,  though  the  particular  request  be  denied. 

It  is  said  that  our  Lord  "  was  heard  in  that  he  feared  ;" 
but  this  was  not  by  the  removal  of  his  sufferings,  but  by  his 
having  strength  suited  to  his  stupendous  v.'oe. 

The  due  vse  of  means  must  be  attended  to,  if  we  wish 
for  answers  to  our  prayers.  There  is  a  species  of  enthusi- 
asm, not  uncommon,  and  to  which  young  or  ignorant  pro- 
fessors of  religion  are  exposed,  that  is,  to  expect  the  bless- 
ing desired  in  prayer  without  any  efibrt  or  exertion  on  our 
parts.  But  in  the  Bible  you  may  constantly  mark  how  those 
who  earnestly  prayed,  used  the  most  likely  means  to  effect 
their  desires.  Though  Jacob  passes  the  night  in  prayer,  he 
still  in  the  morning  takes  the  best  means  to  pacify  his  bro- 
ther Esau,  Asa  sets  the  battle  in  array,  as  well  as  cries  to 
God  "we  rest  on  thee."|  Bishop  Hall  says  of  Moses,  when 
Israel  was  about  to  contend  with  Amalek,  "  I  do  not  hear 
Moses  say  to  his  Joshua,  Amalek  is  come  up  against  us,  it 
matters  not  whether  thou  go  against  him,  or  not ;  or,  if  thou 
go,  whether  alone  or  in  company ;  or,  if  accompanied, 
whether  by  many  or  few,  strong  or  weak ;  or  if  strong  men, 
whether  they  fight  or  no ;  I  will  pray  on  the  hill :  but  he 
says,  '  choose  us  out  men,  and  go  fight.'  Then  only  can  we 
hope  when  we  have  done  our  best ;  and  though  means  can- 
not effect  that  which  wo  desire,  yet  God  will  have  us  use 
the  likeliest  means  on  our  part  to  effect  it.  Prayer,  without 
the  use  of  means,  is  a  mockery  of  God." 

*  See  Fox's  Life  of  Latimer.  t  Ps.  czixviii.  3. 

tChron.  xiv.  10,  11. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  87 

"The  soul  of  the  sluggard  desireth,  and  hath  nothing."* 
Means  being  required,  both  in  God's  word  and  by  the  course 
of  his  providence,  neglect  of  them  is  not  faith,  but  unbelief! 
The  patient  who  trusts  his  physician's  skill,  will  carefully 
follow  his  directions.  Believing  prayer  does  not  render  ex- 
ertion unnecessary,  but  makes  it  effectual;  giving  a  divine 
power  and  blessing  to  that  which  was  before  a  merely  weak 
and  human  effort.  And  the  right  way  is  neither  to  use  un- 
lawful means,  nor  lawful  ones  irregularly,  nor  to  trust 
either  in  them,  or  in  our  prayers ;  but  humbly  and  diligently 
to  go  on  in  the  path  of  duty,  using  those  means  which  seem 
right  and  profitable,  and  trusting  yly  in  God  our  Savior  to 
bring  the  thing  to  pass,  and  that  in  his  own  way.  His  wis- 
dom, power,  and  love,  are  infinite.  His  ways  are  often  dark 
and  mysterious  to  weak  and  fallible  man ;  but  it  will  ever 
be  found  in  the  end,  "  Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their 
trust  in  him."f 

But  supposing  after  having  done  all,  and  waited  long, 
our  prayers  are  still  denied,  what  are  we  then  to  conclude  1 

The  denial  of  prayer  is  always  in  mercy  to  the  children 
of  God.  It  was  in  kindness  to  David  that  his  child  was 
taken  away.  He  earnestly  prayed  for  the  life  of  one  who 
would  have  been  a  living  monument  of  his  shame.  He 
eagerly  longed  for  the  preservation  of  Absalom :  but  in 
mercy  that  rebellious  son,  who  might  have  ruined  him, 
was  cut  off  And  how  frequently  is  the  denial  spiritually 
useful ! 

Goodwin  observes,  "  often  the  very  denial  breaks  the  hard 
heart,  and  brings  a  man  nearer  to  God,  and  puts  him  on 
searching  into  his  ways,  and  estate,  and  to  see  what  should 
be  amiss  in  his  prayer ;  which  alone  is  a  great  mercy,  and 
better  than  the  thing ;  seeing  that  by  the  loss  of  that  one 
thing,  he  learns  to  pray  better,  and  so  to  obtain  a  hundred 
better  things  afterwards." 

We  lose  many  proofs  of  God's  faithfulness  and  grace,  his 
tenderness  and  compassion,  by  not  marking  the  answers  to 
our  prayers  in  these  and  in  other  respects. 

Gee  thus  enumerates  the  ends  for  which  God  may  for  a 
season  hide  himself  from  the  prayers  of  his  people. 

"  In  reference  to  themselves — to  increase  their  assiduity 
and  ardency  m  prayer — to  fit  them  for  the  mercy  prayed  for 

*  Prov.  xiii.  4.  t  Ps.  u.  12. 


88  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

— to  exercise  and  try  their  faith,  patience,  love,  sincerity, 
of  sanctification,  and  obedience — to  manifest  liimself  to 
them  more  fully,  either  in  or  after  the  delay — to  make  the 
benefit  prayed  for  more  precious  and  welcome,  and  useful 
when  it  comes — to  remove  the  impediments  of  their  receiv- 
ing or  enjoying  the  mercy  sought  for — and  to  raise  up  their 
thoughts,  their  faith,  hope,  love  and  longings,  to  the  second 
appearing  of  Christ.  In  reference  to  others — to  make  up 
and  bring  in  the  number  of  those  for  whom  the  mercy  is 
proposed — to  complete  the  account  of  the  church's  sufferers 
and  sufferings — to  give  others  an  example  of  patient  and 
confident  waiting  upon  God — and  for  the  greater  dismay 
and  confusion  of  the  ad^rsary." 

When  your  prayers  are  not  answered,  let  it  lead  you  to 
self-examination.  Perhaps  the  prayer  may  have  been  an- 
swered in  a  way  you  have  not  thought  of  Perhaps  you 
were  desiring  something  that  would  only  foster  ambition  or 
pride,  or  were  merely  considering  ease  or  comfort,  without 
regard  to  spiritual  edification.  Or  look  for  the  cause  of  it 
in  your  neglect  of  Christ's  intercession,  or  your  ingratitude 
for  former  answers :  question  your  own  faith,  the  fervency 
of  your  desires,  the  purity  of  your  end,  the  propriety  of  the 
manner  in  which  you  have  offered  up  your  petitions  :*  yes, 
any  thing  rather  than  God's  faithfulness  :  "  Let  God  be  true, 
and  every  man  a  liar."  Again.  God  will  not  be  inquired  of 
by  those  who  have  an  idol  m  their  hearts.f  If  you  are  liv- 
ing in  any  habitual  sin,  you  cannot  expect  that  your  pray- 
ers should  be  heard. 

*  There  are  two  duties  connected  with  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  that 
are,  it  is  to  be  feared,  too  little  practised  or  insisted  on — Alms  and 
Fasting.  The  alms  of  Cornelius  ascended  with  his  prayers  to  God  ; 
"  Thy  prayers  and  thine  alms  are  come  up  for  a  memorial  before 
God.     Acts,  X.  4.  See  also  Prov.  xxi.  13. 

Parr  observes,  "  Religious  Fasting  is  also  a  notable  help  to  prayer, 
and  is  often  commended  to  us  in  the  word  of  God.  It  is  a  voluntary 
abstaining  from  dinner  or  supper,  or  both,  as  our  bodies  will  bear, 
and  from  all  delicacies,  for  one  day,  or  more,  undertaken  to  make  us 
more  fit  for  prayer  and  repentance.  The  ends  in  our  fasting  are,  1st. 
A  fitting  ourselves  to  prayer,  that  we  may  be  the  more  lively  and  ear- 
nest ;  and  2dly.  That  it  may  be  a  help  and  testimony  of  our  sorrow 
for  sin,  and  of  our  humiliation  before  God." — Only  herein  ever  take 
heed  to  avoid  superstition,  (Rom.  xiv.  17.)  and  any  opinion  of  merit, 
(1  Cor.  viii.  8.)  and  to  fast  from  sin.  Isa.  Iviii.  5,  6 ;  Jer.  12. 

t  Isa.  lix.  2 ;  Ezek.  xiv.  3. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  0» 

When  your  prayers  are  answered^  let  it  assure  you  of 
God's  faithfulness  and  love ;  let  it  encourag-e  you  to  renew 
your  prayers,  to  abound  therein,  to  seek  God  more  constant- 
ly, to  depend  more  simply  on  his  strength,  to  lay  yourself 
out  more  entirely  for  him,  and  never  to  fear  undertEfking 
any  thin^  in  his  cause.  Let  it  excite  you  to  abound  in 
thanksgiving  and  praise.* 

May  what  has  been  stated  encourag-e  you  not  only  to 
hope,  but  patiently  to  wait  for,  and  attentively  observe  God's 
answers  to  prayer.  Keep  from  such  sins  as  would  provoke 
him  to  deny  your  requests,  and  go  on  striving  and  praying, 
asking,  seeking,  and  knocking,  till  you  are  at  length  safely 
landed  on  the  heavenly  shore  :  you  will  then  find  every 
prayer  fully  answered,  every  wish  accomplished,  and  your 
souls  "  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God." 

Sect.  VIIL — The  Frequency  of  Private  Prayer. 

The  Scriptures  do  not  give  express  directions  how  often 
we  ought  to  pray,  farther  than  by  general  intimations  and 
the  examples  of  others.  We  ought  always  to  be  in  the  spirit 
of  prayer.  But  we  are  speaking  now  of  stated  seasons  for 
retired  prayer :  and  of  this  we  say,  that  at  the  least  you 
ought  to  pray  twice  every  day.  David  says,  "  It  is  a  good 
thmg  to  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  and  to  sing  praises 
unto  thy  name,  O  Most  High  :  to  show  forth  thy  loving  kind- 
ness in  the  morning,  and  thy  faithfulness  every  night."t 
"  In  the  morning  will  I  direct  my  prayer  unto  thee,  and  will 
look  up."|  And  again,  "let  my  prayer  be  set  forth  before 
thee  as  incense,  and  the  lifting  up  of  my  hands  as  the  even- 
ing sacrifice."^  Morning  and  evening  devotions,  then,  every 
day,  should  never  be  omitted  ;  and,  speaking  generally, 
unless  you  are  prevented  by  circumstances  out  of  your 
control,  they  cannot  be  neglected  without  much  damage  to 
your  soul.  Prayer  has  been  compared  to  a  key,  that  in 
the  morning  opens  the  treasury  of  God's  mercies ;  and  in 
the  evening  shuts  us  up  under  his  protection  and  safeguard. 
It  has  ever  been  found,  that  as  we  have  sought  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth  in  the  morning,  so  the  rest  of  the  day  has 
prospered. 

The  habit  of  early  rising  is  of  great  importance  to  the 

*  Ps.  Ixvi.  13,  20.  t  Ps.  xcii.  1,  2, 

J  Ps,  V.  3.  $  Ps.  cxli.  2. 

H2 


90  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

due  discharge  of  morning  prayer.  O  how  many  precious 
hours  do  indolent  Christians  lose ;  while  those  who  are  more 
self-denying-  and  diligent,  are  gaining  the  favor  of  God  and 
enjoying  communion  with  him  !* 

Our  first  waking  thoughts  should  be  directed  towards 
God ;  copying  David's  example,  who  says,  "  When  I  awake 
I  am  still  with  thee."f  I  would  advise  you  to  be  longest  in 
your  mornincr  devotions,  when  your  spirits  are  lively  and 
vigorous,  and  undisturbed  by  the  events  of  the  day;  in 
the  evening,  when  you  are  tired  and  spent  with  its  labors, 
be  shorter,  and  endeavor  to  attend  to  this  duty  sometime 
before  you  retire  to  rest.  If  your  evening  devotions  are 
deferred  till  every  thing  else  is  done,  there  is  great  danger 
of  their  being  often  imperfectly  performed,  if  not  alto- 
gether omitted. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Simeon  remarks,  "It  is  too  generally 
found,  that  many,  instead  of  transacting  their  business  with 
God  while  their  faculties  are  alive,  stay  till  exhausted 
nature  is  become  incapable  of  any  energetic  exertion,  and 
then  hurry  over  some  form  of  prayer,  as  a  school-boy  does 
his  task,  without  feeling  one  word  they  utter.  Even  this  is 
too  favorable  a  representation  of  the  prayers  of  some  others, 

*  Col. Gardiner  set  an  admirable  example.  "  He  used  constantly 
to  rise  at  four  in  the  morning,  and  to  spend  his  time  till  six,  in  secret 
exercise  of  devotion,  reading,  meditation,  and  prayer;  in  which  last 
he  contracted  such  a  fervency  of  spirit,  as  I  believe  few  men  living 
ever  obtained.  This  certainly  tended  very  much  to  strengthen  that 
firm  faith  in  God,  and  reverent  animating  sense  of  his  presence,  for 
•which  he  was  so  eminently  remarkable,  and  which  carried  him 
through  the  trials  and  services  of  life  with  such  steadiness  and  such 
activity;  for  he  indeed  endured  and  acted  as  always  'seeing  him 
who  is  invisible.'  If  at  any  time  he  was  obliged  to  go  out  before  six 
in  the  morning,  he  rose  proportionably  sooner ;  so  that  w  hen  a  jour- 
ney or  a  march  has  required  him  to  be  on  horseback  by  four,  he 
would  be  at  his  devotions  at  farthest  by  two.  He  likewise  secured 
time  for  retirement  in  an  evening ;  and  that  he  might  have  it  more 
at  command,  and  be  the  more  fit  to  use  it  properly,  as  well  as  the 
better  able  to  rise  early  the  next  morning,  he  generally  w  ent  to  bed 
about  ten  :  and  during  the  time  I  was  acquainted  with  him,  he  seldom 
ate  any  supper,  but  a  mouthful  of  bread,  with  one  glass  of  wine. 
In  consequence  of  this,  as  well  as  of  his  admirably  good  constitu- 
tion and  the  long  habit  he  had  formed,  he  required  less  sjeep  than 
most  persons  I  have  known :  and  I  doubt  not  but  his  uncommon  pro- 
gress in  piety  was  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  these  resolute  habits 
of  self-denial." — See  Doddridge's  Life  of  Col.  Gardiner. 

t  Ps.  cxxxix.  18. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  91 

who  stay  till  they  have  'ien  down  upon  their  bed,  and  then 
fall  asleep  in  the  midst  of  their  devotions.  As  for  praying 
in  the  morning,  they  have  no  time  for  that ;  concerns  of  the 
past  or  present  day  have  preoccupied  their  minds;  and 
if  they  offer  two  or  three  cold  petitions  while  they  are 
dressing,  or  before  they  leave  their  room,  they  think  this 
quite  sufficient." 

Regular  devotional  exercises,  twice  every  day,  in  secret, 
are  insisted  on  as  a  plain  duty^  More  than  this  is  strongly 
recommended.  Christians  in  general  would  find,  what  many 
do  find  in  their  own  practice,  a  great  advantage  in  obtain- 
ing a  few  leisure  moments  for  retired  and  stated  prayer  in 
the  middle  of  the  day.  The  word  of  God  gives  us  encour- 
aging examples  of  those  who  have  done  so.  "  Evening, 
morning,  and  at  noon-day,  will  I  pray,  and  cry  aloud,  and 
he  shall  hear  my  voice."''  Daniel,  in  time  of  great  danger, 
his  windows  being  opened  in  his  chamber,  "  kneeled  upon 
his  knees  three  times  a  day,  and  prayed,  and  gave  thanks 
before  his  God  as  he  aforetime  did."|  Here  was  the  secret 
spring  of  the  erainency  of  these  holy  men.  They  were  much 
in  prayer.  Besides,  men's  thoughts  and  affections  will  ne- 
cessarily be  most  vigorous  and  lively  about  those  things 
in  which  they  are  incessantly  employed,  and  they  are 
able  to  do  that  best  which  they  do  most  frequently.  This 
is  ^ery  evident  in  the  common  affairs  of  life.  Indeed,  we 
see  this  to  be  the  case,  as  in  prayer  itself  our  thoughts  so 
continually  run  out  after  our  daily  and  more  constant  occu- 
pations. 

Many  objections  are  ever  ready  to  start  up  in  the  natural 
heart,  when  we  are  called  on  to  form  a  determined  resolu- 
tion to  attend  to  any  holy  duty.  But  let  us  say  as  one  said, 
*'  If  the  house  were  about  to  fall  down,  I  must  pray ;" 
meaning  that  the  salvation  of  his  immortal  soul  was  a  mat- 
ter of  such  infinitely  superior  magnitude  to  every  earthly 
concern,  that  whatever  were  the  consequence,  he  must  at- 
tend to  that. 

Respecting  the  time  to  be  allotted  to  prayer,  no  general 
rule  can  be  given.  Many  have  the  command  of  their  whole 
time,  and  from  them  more  is  reasonably  expected.  Surely 
an  hour  or  two  in  twenty-four  is  not  too  much  for  them.  A 
real  love  to  God,  and  a  due  sense  of  the  value  of  his  favor, 

*  Ps.  Iv.  17.  t  Dan.  vi.  10. 


93  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

will  make  a  cheerful  and  liberal  giver.  Others,  as  servants, 
who  have  hardly  any  time  that  they  can  call  their  own,  are 
yet  bound  to  redeem  some  for  God.  Dr.  Doddridge  remarks, 
"  that  there  are  few  who,  with  proper  care,  might  not  have 
a  half  or  three  quarters  of  an  hour  at  command  for  reading 
the  Scriptures  and  prayer,  morning  and  evening."  Let 
there  be  a  willing  mind,  and  a  way  will  be  found. 

"  Let  those," says  Bishop  Home,  "  v^ho  retire  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  day  to  adorn  their  persons,  take  the  opportunity 
of  putting  on  the  ornaments  of  grace,  and  renewing  the 
spirit  of  their  minds." 

In  many  cases  and  situations  it  will  be  impossible  to  re- 
tire to  your  private  chamber  for  a  mid-day  prayer ;  but  in 
a  walk,  in  your  house,  or  in  your  business,  your  heart  may 
statedly  retire  at  a  particular  season  for  a  few  leisure  mo- 
ments from  the  world,  and  hold  communion  with  its  God. 
Only  try. 

Some  of  the  last  words  which  an  African  youth  (very 
dear  to  the  writer,  and  now,  he  doubts  not,  in  heaven)  told 
one  of  those  about  him,  were,  "  I  used  to  pray  three  times 
every  day,  and  I  now  find  that  it  was  good— do  you  mind 
to  do  the  same."* 

The  importance  of  this  regular  and  frequent  devotion  will 
be  evident  from  the  consideration  of  the  g-reat  concerns 
which  we  then  have  to  transact  with  God.  "  I  have,"  ^ys 
Baxter,  "  more  and  greater  business  to  do  with  God  in  one 
day,  than  with  all  the  world  in  all  my  life.  My  business  with 
God  is  so  great,  that,  if  I  had  not  a  Mediator  to  encourage* 
and  assist  me  to  do  my  work,  and  procure  my  acceptance, 
the  thoughts  of  it  would  overwhelm  my  soul.  Therefore 
let  man  stand  by :  I  have  to  do  with  the  great  and  eternal 
God,  and  with  him  I  am  to  transact  in  this  little  time  the 
business  of  my  endless  life.  I  am  to  seek  of  God,  through 
Christ,  the  pardon  of  all  my  great  and  grievous  sins :  and  if 
I  speed  not,  woe  unto  me  that  ever  I  was  born  !  I  have  some 
hopes  of  pardon,  but  intermixed  with  many  perplexing 
fears.  I  have  evidences  of  grace,  but  they  are  exceedingly 
blotted :  I  want  assurances  that  God  is  my  reconciled  iPa- 
ther,  and  that  he  will  receive  me  to  himself  when  the  world 
forsakes  me.  I  have  many  languishing  graces  to  be  strength- 
ened :  and,  alas !  what  rooted,  inveterate,  vexatious  corrup- 

•  See  Memoir  of  Simeon  Wilhelm. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  93 

tions  to  be  cured !  Can  1  look  into  my  heart,  into  such  an 
unbelieving  and  earthly  heart,  into  such  a  proud  and  peev- 
ish heart,  into  such  a  perplexing-  and  trembling-  heart,  and 
not  discern  how  g-reat  my  business  is  with  God  ]  Can  I 
survey  my  sins,  feel  my  wants,  and  sink  under  my  weak- 
nesses] Can  I  look  forward,  and  see  how  near  my  time  is 
to  an  end  1  Can  I  think  of  the  malice  and  diligence  of 
Satan ;  the  number,  power,  and  policy  of  my  enemies ;  the 
many  dangerous  snares  and  temptations  that  are  around 
me,  and  my  own  ignorance,  and  weakness,  and  unwatch- 
fulness,  and  not  know  that  my  greatest  business  is  with 
God?"*  Surely  such  views  should  lead  us  to  frequent 
prayer. 

Sect.  IX. —  The  Reward  of  Private  Prayer. 

"  Thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee 
openly."  While  this  holds  out  to  us  the  certain  reward 
of  secret  devotion,  it  also  discovers  to  us  a  delightful  view 
of  the  glory  and  perfections  of  God.  Heathen  nations  fan- 
cy that  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  is  too  far  oft',  or  too 
great,  to  attend  to  the  petitions  of  men — tliat  he  is  too  de- 
termined, and  too  careless,  or  too  powerful  to  be  moved 
by  them,  and  that  therefore  they  must  pray  to  inferior  Dei- 
ties. But  in  what  a  much  sublimer  light  do  the  Christian 
Scriptures  lead  us  to  think  of  God !  He  is  everywhere 
present — "  in  Him  we  live,  move,  and  have  our  being :" 
He  "  performeth  all  things  for  us ;"  He  "  seeth  in  secret." 
Ogden  says  on  this  subject,  "  How  magnificent  is  this  idea 
of  God's  government !  That  he  inspects  the  whole  and  every 
part  of  the  universe  every  moment,  and  orders  it  accord- 
ing to  the  counsels  of  his  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness  by 
his  Almighty  will !  whose  thought  is  power,  and  his  acta 
ten  thousand  times  quicker  than  the  light ;  unconfused  in 
a  multiplicity  exceeding  number,  and  unwearied  through 
eternity." 

Christian !  when  you  enter  your  closet  for  private  prayer, 
you  are  going  into  the  presence  chamber  of  this  great  Kmg 
of  kmgs ;  you  are  about  to  hold  intercourse  with  him  in 
the  character  of  a  tender  father.  He  is  indeed  every- 
where present^  but  he  manifests  his  presence  to  those  that 

*  See  Baxter's  Converse  with  God. 


94  A    TREATISE   OW    PRAYER. 

seek  him.  He  bestows  on  them  his  grace  and  blessing. 
O  the  dignity  and  g^lory  of  the  Christian !  O  the  vanity 
of  the  world !  O  the  astonishing  blindness  and  perverse- 
ness  of  man,  who  can  think  slightly  of  his  richest  privilege, 
and  his  highest  honor !  The  advantages  of  prayer,  gene- 
rally, have  already  been  pointed  out ;  but  consider  farther 
— Intercourse  with  God  in  secret  prayer,  has  a  transform' 
ing  efficacy.  When  Moses  had  been  with  God  in  tiie 
mount,  the  skin  of  his  face  shone.  Something  of  that 
glory  which  had  been  then  manifested  to  him  remained 
with  him.  And  thus  the  Christian  often  comes  from  his 
closet,  with  some  of  the  beams  of  heavenly  light  and  glo- 
ry, shining  as  it  were  in  his  countenance.  Coming  into 
the  world  is  sometimes  to  him  like  coming  back  into  a 
lower  sphere,  into  a  new  society.  He  has  been  holding 
converse  with  the  unseen  world,  and  he  returns  invigo- 
rated and  refreshed  for  every  duty.  "Our  graces  will 
languish  and  die,  our  spirits  grow  heavy  and  dull,  unless 
we  are  refreshed  and  revived  by  constant  intercourse  with 
the  great  paternal  Spirit."  Grove  says,  "  The  effects  of 
Christian  retirement  will  appear  in  the  sweet  composure 
of  the  passions,  the  evenness  and  affability  of  the  behavior, 
the  charitableness  of  the  temper,  and  the  purity  and  tran- 
quillity of  the  life."  The  retired  violet,  which  hides  itself 
in  the  shade,  gives  one  of  the  sweetest  scents ;  and  the 
lowly  Christian,  who  is  constant  in  secret  prayer,  diffuses 
a  holy  feeling,  a  heavenly  atmosphere  around  him. 

This  blessed  employment  in  secret  raises  the  Christian 
above  anxiety  about  temporal  things.  A  holy  intercourse 
with  his  Maker  gives  him  a  fixedness  and  serenity  which 
nothing  else  can  bestow,  and  hardly  any  thing  can  discom- 
pose. It  prepares  him  for  all  events,  and  fills  him  with  a 
noble  contempt  for  all  the  sinful  pleasures  and  pursuits  of 
a  world  lying  in  wickedness.  It  is  like  a  sure  anchor,  safely 
fixed  in  solid  ground,  which,  though  unseen  above,  keeps 
the  vessel  stedfast  and  secure  amid  the  tumultuous  waves 
and  the  stormy  tempest. 

The  devout  Christian,  praying  in  secret,  makes  rapid  ad- 
vances in  the  divine  life.  "  They  that  wait  on  the  Lord 
shall  renew  their  strength.  They  shall  mount  up  with 
wings  as  eagles,  they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  and 
they  shall  walk  and  not  faint."  Sins  with  which  the  indo- 
lent and  careless  Christian  is  contending  to  his  life's  end, 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  95 

soon  yield  to  continued  fervent  prayer.  Prayer  gains  fbi 
us  that  strength  which  enables  us  to  surmount  every  diffi 
culty,  and  removes  every  obstacle  in  our  way  to  Sion 
Are  our  affections  toward  God  and  Christ  becoming  cold  ! 
prayer  is  as  a  fire  to  which  we  must  approach,  and  doing 
so,  we  shall  perceive  a  gentle  warmth  insensibly  overspread 
us,  and  our  benumbed  powers  will  acquire  fresh  energy 
and  vigor. 

It  was  the  daily  practice  of  the  eminent  physician  Boer 
haave,  through  his  whole  life,  as  soon  as  he  rose  in  th 
morning,  which  was  generally  very  early,  to  retire  for  an 
hour  to  private  prayer,  and  meditation  on  some  part  of  the 
Scriptures.  He  often  told  his  friends,  when  they  asked 
him  how  it  was  possible  for  him  to  go  through  so  much 
fatigue  with  such  patience  and  quietness,  that  it  was  this 
which  gave  him  spirit  and  vigor  in  the  business  of  the  day. 
This  he  therefore  recommended  as  the  best  rule  which  he 
could  give. 

Private  prayer  is  an  engine  of  greater  power  than  all 
human  means  put  together.*  The  greatest  of  earthly 
monarchs,  ^glecting  prayer,  has  not  that  power  to  glorify 
God,  benefit  man,  and  secure  his  own  happiness,  which  the 
humble  and  praying  Christian  has.  The  prayer  of  a  poor, 
destitute,  and  afflicted  Christian,  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
may  turn  the  hearts  of  kings  and  princes,  save  his  coun- 
try, raise  up  pious  ministers,  secure  a  blessing  to  their 
labors,  send  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen;  and  advance  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  world.  Prayer  has  an  advan- 
tage above  alms,  and  every  other  good  work,  which  can 
only  benefit  a  few,  while  faithful  prayer  can  help  all.  It 
is  also  a  resource,  of  which  man  cannot  deprive  you ;  he 
may  despoil,  blind,  and  maim,  imprison,  or  otherwise  in 
jure  you ;  but  he  cannot  keep  you  from  prayer.  Observc 
the  power  of  prayer  in  the  example  of  Elijah.  He  was  "  a 
man  subject  to  like  passions  as  we  are,  and  he  prayed  earn- 
estly that  it  might  not  rain,  and  it  rained  not  on  the  earth 
by  the  space  of  three  years  and  six  months.  And  he  prayed 
ag-ain,  and  the  heaven  gave  rain,  and  the  earth  brought 
forth  her  fruit." 

*  "Admirable  is  the  power  of  prayer.  It  calms  the  surges  of  a 
troubled  spirit — shuts  lions'  mouths — opens  prison  doors — beats  the 
fiercest  enemies — nay,  arrests  the  impending  judgments  of  God." 
Reading's  Guide  to  the  Holy  City. 


96  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

It  makes  us  fruitful  in  every  good  work. — "  I  reckon 
it,"  says  Bennett,  "  matter  of  common  experience  among 
good  men,  that  they  find  tliemselves  more  or  less  disposed, 
and  fit  for  their  respective  duties  and  service,  according-  as 
their  diligence,  constancy,  and  seriousness  in  secret  prayei 
is  more  or  less."  The  root  that  produces  the  beautiful  and 
flourishing  tree,  with  all  its  spreading  branches,  verdant 
leaves,  and  refreshing  fruit,  that  which  gains  for  it  sap,  life, 
vigor,  and  fruitfulness  is  all  unseen ;  and  the  farther  and 
the  deeper  the  roots  spread  beneath,  the  more  the  tree  ex- 
pands above.  Christians,  if  you  wish  to  prosper,  if  you 
long  to  bring  forth  all  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  strike  your 
roots  deep  and  wide  in  private  prayer.  That  faith  and  sup- 
port, that  strength  and  grace,  which  you  seek  of  God  in 
secret,  that  it  may  be  exercised  in  the  hour  of  need,  God 
will  in  that  hour  give  it  you  before  men. 

Mr.  Scott  says,  "  Depend  upon  it,  every  thing  will  pros- 
per in  the  event,  in  a  very  near  proportion  to  our  earnest- 
ness and  perseverance  in  prayer  :  but  negligence  here  will 
be  followed  by  a  declension  perhaps  almost  unperceived  in 
all  other  respects,  and  will  make  way  for  temp#tions,  falls, 
corrections,  darkness,  and  inward  distresses  :  if  like  Jacob 
we  wrestle  with  God,  and  prevail,  we  shall  eventually  pre- 
vail in  all  our  other  conflicts." 

It  will  be  rewarded  openhj. — Our  Lord  does  not  in  these 
words  promise  the  very  thing  which  you  request ;  but  your 
Father  will  reward  you  ;  he  will  give  you  a  free,  a  full 
return,  a  gracious  retribution,  evidently,  though  not  perhaps 
identically.  How  manifestly  before  all  men  Hannah  was 
rewarded,  when  the  name  of  her  son  Samuel  (meaning 
"asked  of  God")  told  all  Israel,  and  tells  the  Church  in  every 
age,  that  God  hears  and  answers  prayer !  How  openly  were 
Jacob's  secret  prayers  answered,  when  Esau  publicly  re- 
ceived him  so  graciously  !  Our  heavenly  Father  will  also, 
before  men  and  angels,  hereafter  reward  thy  secret  devo- 
tion. Now  it  is  unknown  to  man,  but  it  will  all  be  known, 
and  known  by  the  greatness  of  its  reward.  Every  tear  of 
godly  sorrow,  shed  in  secret,  will  then  be  a  brilliant  gem 
in  the  crown  of  glory  surrounding  the  brow  of  the  Chris- 
tian. The  Christian's  reward  comes  from  a  Father  of  in- 
finite power,  riches,  wisdom,  and  love  ;  and  therefore  can- 
not be  a  small  reward,  or  an  unsatisfying  portion. 

May  every  reader  then  be  encouraged  to  begin,  or  more 


A   TREATISE   ON^    PRAYER.  97 

constantly  to  practise,  and  persevere  in  the  sacred  duty. 
However  dull  our  spirits,  however  wearied  our  body,  how- 
ever wandering  our  minds,  let  us  never  wholly  omit  this 
duty,  never  put  it  off  with  a  vain  excuse  to  another  season. 
To  do  so  is  Satan's  temptation.  It  is  better  to  attempt  to 
pray  in  the  best  way  you  can,  than  not  to  pray  at  all.  And 
you  will  sometimes  find  the  Lord  assist  you  with  the  supply 
of  his  Spirit,  enliven  your  soul,  fix  your  mind,  and  draw 
and  raise  your  heart  to  himself 

One  of  Melancthon's  correspondents  gives  this  account 
of  Luther's  private  devotions,  in  one  of  the  most  trying  and 
critical  times  in  the  course  of  the  Reformation.  "  I  can- 
not enough  describe  the  cheerfulness,  constancy,  faith,  and 
hope  of  this  man,  in  these  trying  and  vexatious  times.  He 
constantly  feeds  these  good  affections  by  a  very  diligent 
study  of  the  word  of  God.  Then,  not  a  day  passes  in  which 
he  does  not  employ  in  prayer,  three,  at  least,  of  his  very 
best  hours.  Once  I  happened  to  hear  him  at  prayer.  Gra- 
cious Lord !  what  spirit,  and  what  faith  there  is  in  his  ex- 
pressions !  He  petitions  God  with  as  much  reverence  as 
if  he  was  actually  in  the  divine  presence,  and  yet  with  as 
firm  a  hope  and  confidence  as  he  would  address  a  father  or 
a  friend.  '  I  know,'  said  he,  '  thou  art  our  Father,  and  our 
God,  therefore,  I  am  sure  that  thou  wilt  bring  to  naught 
the  persecutors  of  thy  children.  For  shouldst  thou  fail  to 
do  this,  thine  own  cause,  being  connected  with  ours,  would 
be  endangered.  It  is  entirely  thine  own  concern :  we,  by 
thy  providence,  have  been  compelled  to  take  a  part.  Thou, 
therefore,  wilt  be  our  defence.'  While  I  was  listening  to 
Luther  praying  in  this  manner  at  a  distance,  my  soul  seem- 
ed on  fire  within  me,  to  hear  the  man  address  God  so  like 
a  friend,  and  yet  with  so  much  gravity  and  reverence ;  and 
also  to  hear  him,  in  the  course  of  his  prayer,  insisting  on 
the  promises  contained  in  the  Psalms,  as  if  he  were  sure 
his  petitions  would  be  granted."  (See  Milner's  Hist,  of 
the  Church  of  Christ,  vol.  5.)  No  wonder  that  Luther  was 
such  a  blessing  to  the  world.  All  men  of  great  usefiilness 
to  the  Church  have  much  abounded  in  prayer. 

But  why  speak  we  of  others  ]  let  us  notice  only  the  ex- 
traordinary spirit  of  devotion  which  adorned  our  blessed 
Savior.  This  part  of  his  character  has  been  well  de- 
scribed :  when  twelve  years  of  age,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
Temple  with  the  Doctors,  in  his  "Fatlier's  business." 
I 


98  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

When  he  entered  on  his  public  ministry,  he  committed 
himself  in  solemn  prayer  to  God.  Before  he  chose  his 
twelve  Apostles,  as  well  as  at  his  transfiguration,  he  spent 
a  considerable  time  in  devotion.  During  his  ministry,  he 
resorted  to  the  synagogue  on  the  sabbath.  He  devoutly 
referred  every  act  of  his  life  and  ministry,  his  mission,  his 
doctrine,  his  miracles,  his  sufferings,  his  resurrection,  to 
the  will  and  appointment  of  his  Father.  He  encouraged 
a  spirit  of  prayer  in  his  disciples,  by  commanding  them  to 
pray,  and  by  supplying  them  with  a  model  of  prayer.  He 
sanctioned  these  encouragements  to  prayer  by  his  own  ex- 
ample ;  and  by  "  going  out  into  a  desert  to  pray ;"  by  rising 
up  early,  and  by  "  continuing  all  night  in  prayer  to  God :"  by 
pouring  out  earnest  and  frequent  addresses  to  his  heavenly 
Father,  as  new  exigencies  arose  ;  by  his  solemn  intercesso- 
ry supplication,  previous  to  his  last  sufferings ;  by  his 
"  strong  crying  and  tears"  during  his  agony ;  and  by  com- 
mending his  soul  to  his  Father  as  he  expired  on  the  cross."* 
If  the  Savior  of  the  world  thus  prayed,  and  was  heard, 
and  carried  through  Jiis  stupendous  work,  can  we  have  a 
stronger  motive  to  abound  in  prayer  1 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ON  PUBLIC  WORSHIP. 

Many  are  the  advantages,  and  great  is  the  necessity  of 
private  prayer ;  but  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  show,  that 
public  worship  is  also  a  duty  of  plain  and  vast  importance. 

We  will  consider,  first,  the  duty  and  advantage  of  public 
worship;  and  then  the  mode  of  duly  performing  the  duty. 

The  ossemblinfr  of  ourselves  together  is  required  in  the 
Scriptures  of  all  Christians.  The  Apostle  exhorts  us  to 
it  as  a  great  means  of  strengthening  our  love  to  God  and 
man ;  "  Let  us  consider  one  another  to  provoke  unto  love 
and  good  works,  not  forsaking  the  assembling  of  ourselves 
together  as  the  manner  of  some  is."t  The  invitation  runs, 
"  O  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down :  let  us  kneel  be- 

♦  S?e  Daniel  Wilson's  Sermons.  t  Heb.  x.  24,  25. 


A    TREATISE   OX    PRAYER.  99 

fore  the  Lord  our  Maker."*  "  Come  into  his  courts ;  O 
worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness/'f  The  direc- 
tion is,  "  Praying  always,  with  all  prayer."|  It  is  plamly 
pointed  out  as  a  means  to  avert  God's  judgments ;  "  call  a 
solemn  assembly,  gather  the  people,  sanctify  the  congrega- 
tion, assemble  Ihe  elders.  Let  the  priests,  the  ministers 
of  the  Lord,  weep  between  the  porch  and  the  altar,  and  let 
them  say,  Spare  thy  people."^  These  things,  and  the 
practice  of  all  holy  persons,  from  the  time  when  "  men  be- 
gan to  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,"|l  with  the  example 
of  our  Lord  and  his  disciples,  give  us  sufficient  scriptural 
authority  for  the  practice  of  public  worship.  Nor  should 
we  forget  the  appointment  of  a  particular  day  for  the 
solemn  worship  of  God,  and  of  a  particular  place  for  the 
Jevvish  nation,  the  various  regulations,  and  directions  re- 
specting their  public  worship ;  all  which  things  show  that 
it  is  a  divine  ordinance  pleasing  and  acceptable  to  God. 

Public  worship  is  a  suitable  and  proper  expression  of 
homage  to  our  Creator.  "  In  him  we  live,  and  move,  and 
have  our  being ;"  and  it  is  just  and  right  that  we  should 
publicly  and  unitedly  "  give  unto  the  Lord  the  glory  due 
unto  his  name."  We  all  depend  on  him,  and  it  is  right 
that  we  should  join  in  acknow^ledging  this,  and  praying  to 
him.  We  have  in  common  sinned  against  him,  and  right 
it  is  that  we  should  in  common  confess  our  sins  before  him. 
We  need  the  same  supplies,  we  have  received  the  same 
mercies,  and  may  therefore  unite  in  the  same  prayers  and 
jiraises.  Reasonable  and  immortal  creatures  are  engaged 
in  an  object  worthy  of  their  nature  and  character,  when 
they  unite  together  to  "  exalt  the  Lord  our  God,  and  wor- 
ship at  his  footstool."1[  The  angels  and  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect,  unite  in  surrounding  the  throne  of  glory 
with  hymns  and  praises.  We  are  to  do  his  will  "  on  earth 
as  it  is  done  in  heaven."  If  we,  then,  expect  to  join  the 
society  above,  we  should  obtain  a  meetness  on  earth  for 
their  blissful  employment. 

It  is  also  a  public  testimony  and  profession  of  our  reli- 
gion. We  hereby  show  "  whose  we  are,  and  whom  we 
serve."  The  religion  of  a  nation  is  known  by  its  worship. 
"  All  people  walk  every  one  in  the  name  of  his  God,  and 

*  Ps.  xcv.  6.  t  Ps.  xcvi.  8,  9.  t  Eph.  vi.  18. 

§  Joel  ii.  15,  17.  Ii  Gen.  iv.  26.  IT  Ps.  xcix.  5. 


100  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

we  will  walk  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  our  God  for  ever."* 
[f  heathen  nations  assemble  to  worship  idols ;  if  Mahomet- 
ans meet  to  worship  an  unknown  God,  and  honor  JNIahom- 
et :  let  Christians  meet  to  worship  the  "  God  and  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  the  spirits  of  all 
flesh ;"  and  thus  give  a  public  avowal  of  their  being  the 
disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  only  Lord  and  Savior.  By 
withdrawing  from  the  public  assembly  of  his  people,  you 
do  in  effect  own  yourself  not  to  belong  to  those  who  love 
and  fear  God,  and  shall  dwell  with  him  for  ever.  Persons 
of  the  greatest  piety  have  ever  been  most  remarkable  for 
their  attachment  to  public  worship.  Look  with  this  view 
at  the  Psalms  of  David.     See  Psalms  xlii.  xliii,  Ixxxiv. 

Public  worship  is  attended  with  some  peculiar  advan- 
tages. The  constant  return  of  the  weekly  sabbath,  and  its 
worship,  keep  alive  those  impressions  of  religion  which 
the  cares,  and  business,  and  distractions  of  this  world  would 
wear  away.  Our  Savior  makes  a  special  promise  applica- 
ble to  it,  saying,  "  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  togetiier 
in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."t  "  The 
Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple.  He  loveth  the  gates  of  Sion 
more  than  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob,"  peculiarly  there 
manifesting  to  his  people  his  presence,  in  which  is  "  full- 
ness of  joy."  He  declares,  "  I  will  make  them  joyful  in 
my  house  of  prayer." J  Worldly  men  find  it  natural  and 
«asy  to  meet  in  a  mart  or  exchange  for  worldly  advantages, 
and  the  religious  man  finds  it  thus  easy  to  go  to  t\ie  house 
of  God  for  spiritual  advantages.  We  thus  turn  the  sympa- 
thy of  nature,  common  to  us  all,  to  its  best  account.  It  has 
i.  tendency  to  unite  men  together  in  mutual  love.  We  are 
quickened,  solemnized,  and  enlivened  by  the  devotion  of  a 
well-ordered  congregation.  "  I  will  praise  the  Lord  with 
my  whole  heart,"  says  David,  "  in  the  congregation  of  the 
faithful."  Earth  affords  not  a  more  impressive,  affecting, 
and  solemn  sight,  than  that  of  a  whole  congregation  uniting 
in  acts  of  prayer  and  praiue  to  the  great  Lord  of  all.  In 
such  a  scene,  also,  the  Christian  peculiarly  enjoys  tlie 
privilege  of  the  communion  of  saints. 

The  reading  and  preaching  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  being 
joined  with  public  worship,  the  young,  the  poor,  the  igno- 
rant, and  uninstructed,  have,  by  this  means,  a  most  import- 

*  Micah,  iv.  5.  t  Matt,  xviii.  19,  20.  t  Isa.  Ivi.  7. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  101 

ant  opportunity  of  religious  instruction.  The  beneficial  ef- 
fects of  this,  when  generally  kept  up  through  a  whole  na- 
tion, cannot  easily  be  estimated. 

But  public  worship  is  a  privilege  as  well  as  a  duty — To 
the  Christian  it  is  not  a  burdensome  task,  but  a  delightful 
employment,  under  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to 
join  Ills  fellow  Christians  in  prayer  and  praise.  Observe 
how  David  speaks — "  One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the 
Lord,  and  that  will  I  seek  after,  that  I  may  dwell  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life,  to  behold  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord,  and  to  inquire  in  his  temple."*  "  How 
amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  O  Lord  of  hosts;  my  soul 
longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth,  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord;  my 
heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God."t  Hence 
the  sabbath  is  to  the  Christian  a  happy  day.  He  looks 
f  )r\vavd  to  it  with  pleasure.  He  regrets  its  departure.  He 
v/ould  not,  on  any  account,  willingly  deprive  himself  of  its 
privileges,  or  lose  its  worship. 

The  observance  of  the  Sabbath  is  so  intimately  connect- 
ed with  public  worship,  that  it  may  be  useful  to  show  the 
obligation  to  keep  holy  the  Lord's  day. 

The  sabbath  v.'as  sanctified  and  set  apart  for  God  from 
the  beginning.]:  "  God  blessed  the  seventh  day  and  sanc- 
tified it ;  because  that  in  it  he  liad  rested  from  all  his  work 
which  God  creaied  and  made."^  Hence  we  may  infer  not 
only  tlie  advantage,  but  the  absolute  necessity,  as  the  world 
now  is,  if  we  Vv'ould  pay  any  suitable  regard  to  religion,  or 
to  the  salvation  of  our  immortal  souls,  of  time  set  apart  for 
the  immediate  service  of  God. 

The  command  to  "  remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it 
holy,"  though  given  to  the  Jewish  church  with  many  cir- 

*  Ps.  xxvii.  4.  t  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  1,  2. 

\  It  has,  indeed,  been  objected,  that  there  is  no  subsequent  men- 
tion of  the  observance  of  the  sat)bath  by  the  patriarchs ;  but  not 
to  say  ihat  there  are  intimations  of  a  division  of  time  into  weeks, 
(Gen.  viii.  10,  12;  xxix.  27;  1,  10,)  it  might,  for  the  same  reason,  have 
been  thought,  that  the  Jews  did  not  observe  the  sabbath  from  Moses 
to  David,  since  in  the  history  of  all  that  time  there  is  no  mention  of 
that  day.  Those  who  object  to  the  institution  of  the  sabbath,  from 
the  begmning,  admit  that  •'  if  the  divine  command  was  actually  de- 
livered at  the  creation,  it  was  addressed  no  doubt  to  the  whole  hu- 
man species  alike,  and  continues,  unless  repealed  by  some  subse- 
quent revelation,  binding  on  all  who  come  to  the  knowledge  of  iu" 

$  Gen.  ii.  3. 

12 


102  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

cumstances  of  peculiar  strictness,  occurs  among  the  moral 
laws  in  the  Ten  Commandments.  Mr.  Cecil  thus  explains 
its  true  character — "  The  Jewish  Sabbath  was  partly  of 
political  institution,  and  partly  of  moral  obligation ;  so  far 
as  it  was  a  political  appointment,  designed  to  preserve  the 
Jews  from  other  nations,  it  is  abrogated;  so  far  as  it  was 
of  moral  obligation,  it  remains  in  force.  Christ  came  not 
to  abolish  the  Sabbath,  but  to  explain  and  enforce  it,  as  he 
did  the  rest  of  the  law\  Its  observance  was  nowhere 
positively  enjomed  by  him,  because  Christianity  was  to  be 
practicable,  and  was  to  go  into  all  nations,  and  it  goes 
thither  stripped  of  its  precise  and  various  circumstances. 
*  I  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day,'  seems  to  be  the 
soul  of  the  Christian  Sabbath."  The  circumstance  of  tlie 
continuance  of  the  Jewish  Economy,  while  our  liOrd  and 
his  Apostles  lived,  sufficiently  accounts  for  there  being  no 
positive  precept  in  the  New  Testament  respecting  the  ob- 
servance of  the  first  day  of  the  week,  our  Sunday.  Yet  the 
practice  of  the  primitive  church,*  their  freedom  from  the 
Jewish  Sabbath,!  and  the  actual  appointment  in  our  coun- 
try of  the  first  day,  plainly  require  our  observing  Sunday, 
"  the  Lord's  day,"|  being  the  first,  instead  of  Saturday,  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week. 

While  our  Savior,  "  who  is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath 
day,"  has  rectified  the  superstitious  abuse  of  the  Institu- 
tion, and  allows  us  to  perform  works  of  necessity  and  char- 
ity,5  yet  it  is  clear  that  he  would  never  have  reformed  the 
abuse  of  this  fourth  Commandment,  had  the  Sabbath  been 
an  ordinance  which  was  to  die  in  a  little  time.  Hence  it 
is  our  plain  duty,  as  far  as  it  is  possible,  to  devote  the  first 
day  of  the  week  wholly  to  the  service  of  God.  "  We  are 
going,"  says  Mr.  Cecil,  "  to  spend  a  sabbath  in  eternity. 
The  Christian  will  acquire  as  much  of  the  sabbath  spirit 
as  he  can.  And  in  proportion  to  a  man's  real  piety,  in 
every  age  of  the  church,  he  will  be  found  to  have  been  a 
diligent  observer  of  the  Sabbath  day." 

Alas !  how  perpetually  is  this  holy  day  profaned  in  our 
Christian  land  !  what  multitudes  transact  their  usual  busi- 
ness !  how  many  shops  in  large  towns  are  more  or  less 
open!    how  many  thousands  of  Sunday  newspapers  are 

*  Acts,  XX.  7;  1  Cor.  xvi.  1,2.  t  Col.  ii.  16. 

Rev.  i.  10  $  Matt.  xii.  1, 12. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  103 

published,  sold,  and  read !  what  needless  travellmg,  visit- 
ing', writing-  letters,  settling  of  accounts,  &c. 

But  how  much  more  holy  and  more  happy  is  the  Chris- 
tian's employment  of  this  day  !  It  is  to  him  a  delight  and 
a  joy.  He  gives  it  wholly  to  its  varied,  bat  sacred  duties. 
He  reads  the  Scriptures,  and  other  devotional  books,  ex- 
amines his  heart,  thinks  on  his  ways,  and  meditates  on 
spiritual  and  eternal  things.  He  attends  public  worship, 
and  instructs  his  family,  or  visits  the  poor  and  afflicted.  He 
seeks  to  have  his  heart  with  God  all  the  day  long,  and  thus 
passing  his  Sabbaths  here  below,  he  becomes  better  pre- 
pared tor  an  eternal  sabbath  above. 

But  to  return  to  the  duty  of  public  worship. 

My  readers  may  be  of  two  classes : — either  more  or  less 
neglecting  public  worship,  or  constantly  attending  it.  Are 
you  living  in  the  neglect  of  public  worship  !  To  such  it 
may  be  said,  though  it  be  no  certain  mark  of  the  truth  of 
a  man's  religious  profession  that  he  comes  to  public  wor- 
ship, yet  his  habitual  or  frequent  absence,  when  he  has 
it  in  his  power  to  come,  is  a  plain  mark  that  a  man  has  no 
real  religion.  He  is  unlike  his  Savior,  and  unlike  the 
disciples  of  that  Savior :  and  thus  continuing  to  despise  the 
earthly  house  of  his  God,  he  will  fail  of  an  entrance  into 
nis  eternal  mansions.  It  was  foretold,  that  in  the  days  of 
the  Messiah,  his  followers  should  generally  and  unitedly 
assemble  together,  to  engage  themselves  in  his  service. 
*'  Many  people  shall  say,  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob, 
and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his 
paths.""*  May  you,  then,  be  excited  by  the  considerations 
which  I  have  stated,  to  begin  a  constant,  regular,  and 
habitual  attendance  at  the  house  of  God ;  and  thus  not  only 
gain  inestimable  benefits  to  yourself,  but  also  by  your  ex- 
ample and  your  influence  bring  others  thither.  But  per- 
haps you  may  imagine  that  you  have  sufficient  reasons  to 
induce  you  to  stay  at  home. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  objection  made  to  a  due  attend- 
ance on  the  duty  of  public  worship,  /  can  pray  belter  at 
home — /  can  learn  more  at  home  by  reading  good  books. 
The  preceding  observations  have  already  furnished  a  suffi- 
cient answer  to  this  objection.   Those  who  make  it  not  un- 

*Isa.ii  3 


104  A    TREATISE   OIV    PRAYER. 

frequently  totally  neglect  also  religious  duties  at  home. 
Public  worship  is  a  means  of  grace  of  divine  appointment, 
and  therefore  must  not  be  neglected.  Though  you  may  not 
seem  to  derive  that  profit  and  edification  wliich  you  think 
you  gain  from  reading  a  religious  book,  you  do  in  reality 
lose  all  the  peculiar  benefits  of  public  worship  yourself, 
and  do  all  that  the  power  of  example  can  elfect,  to  keep 
others  from  its  advantages.  Besides,  did  you  really  know 
more  than  your  teachers,  you  might  still  learn,  from  the 
example  of  our  Savior,  in  whom  were  and  "are  hid  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,"  to  attend  public  wor- 
ship. We  read  of  him  "as  his  custom  v/as,  he  went  into 
the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  day."* 

Others  think  that  it  is  iinnecessury  to  g(f  constantly.  The 
same  reasons  which  require  you  to  go  at  all,  call  on  you 
also  to  be  constant  in  going.  It  is  tfie  regular  return  of 
the  duty  which  makes  it  so  valuable  in  the  Christian  life. 
You  do  not  think  it  unnecessary  to  partake  constantly  and 
regularly  of  food  for  your  body ;  nor  is  it  less  necessary  to 
be  regular  in  seeking  food  for  your  soul.  A  leaky  vessel 
in  the  ocean,  continually  letting  in  the  waters,  needs  con- 
tinual pumping  and  bailing  to  keep  it  free ;  and  thus  the 
corrupt  heart  of  man  calls  for  a  constant  use  of  eyery 
means  to  keep  it  fi-ee  from  sin.  There  is  a  great  advantage 
in  a  constant  attendance.  "  Those  that  be  planted  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  shall  flourish  in  the  courts  of  our  God  ; 
they  shall  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age ;  they  shall  be  fat  and 
flourishing."!  It;  would  appear  from  Heb.  x.  25,  27,  that 
remissness  respecting  "the  assembling  of  ourselves  to- 
gether," was  the  first  step  to  apostasy.  Will  not  the  con- 
stancy of  the  early  Christians  in  frequenting  their  assem- 
blies for  w^orship  in  great  difficulties,  and  often  at  the  risk 
of  their  lives,  condemn  you  who  refuse  to  attend,  though 
the  house  of  God  is  open  and  you  have  full  liberty  to  go 
thither] 

Some  refuse  to  go  because  they  have  personal  prejudice 
against  the  minister.  There  may  be,  indeed,  trying  cases 
of  unfaithful  teachers,  and  there  is  a  sad  woe  pronounced 
on  those  " by  A\hom  the  otTence  cometh ;"  but  surely  this 
objection  ought  not  to  induce  you  altogether  to  neglect  at- 
tendance on  public  worship.     We  should  not  disregard 

*  Luke  iv.  IG.  t  Ps.  xeii.  13, 14. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  105 

that  instruction  even  of  an  ungodly  minister,  which  is 
scriptural.  "  The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  seat ; 
all,  therefore,  whatsoever  they  bid  you  observe,  that  ob- 
serve and  do ;  but  do  ye  not  after  their  works,  for  they  say 
and  do  not"  But  let  me  ask,  have  you  practised  fervent, 
persevering-,  and  united  prayer  for  your  minister!  Try 
this  ;  and  perhaps  your  prejudices  may  be  removed,  or  his 
character  changed.  Christians  often  forget,  in  their  desire 
of  having  a  faithful  minister,  who  shall  preach  to  them  the 
pure  doctrines  of  Christ,  that  it  is  as  easy  for  God  to  en- 
lighten their  present  minister  "  with  the  true  knowledge 
and  understanding  of  his  word,"  to  enable  their  present 
pastor,  "  both  by  his  preaching  and  living  to  set  it  forth, 
and  show  it  accordingly,"  as  it  is  to  send  them  such  an  one 
as  they  desire.  Let  me  strongly  and  urgently  recommend 
you  to  try  the  plan  of  fervent  and  persevering  prayer  for 
your  minister. 

Many  of  my  readers,  however,  attend  public  worship 
constantly*  To  them,  on  this  point,  I  need  only  say,  " be 
not  weary  of  well  doing."  You  have,  however,  perhaps, 
relatives,  friends,  dependants,  or  connexions,  whom  you 
greatly  love,  who  never  come  at  alL  May  what  has  been 
said  incline  you  to  use  every  proper  meatus  in  your  power 
to  bring  them.  You  have  over  them,  probably,  the  influ- 
ence of  authority,  friendship,  or  affection ;  use  this  talent 
of  influence  in  your  Savior's  service ;  and,  by  the  con- 
straining power  of  love,  compel  them  to  come  in  to  his 
house.  And  while  you  thus  exert  yourself  in  their  behalf, 
O  seek,  on  every  account,  duly  to  perform  that  great  duty 
in  which  you  yourself  are  engaged.  Seek,  when  you 
"come  into  his  courts,  to  worship  tlie  Lord  in  the  beauty 
of  holiness," 

We  proceed  to  consider  how  we  may  duly  worship  God 
in  his  house.  We  may  worship  God  "  in  the  beauty  of 
holiness."  We  do  this,  when,  approaching  him  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  through  the  assistance  of  his 
Spirit,  all  our  faculties  are  fixed  and  engaged  in  this  work ; 

*  It  is  to  be  regretted,  that  the  appointment  of  the  Church  of  England 
for  public  worship  twice  a  week  as  well  as  on  Sundays,  through  the 
decay  of  CUiristian  piet}',  is  in  a  great  measure  nugatory.  It  is,  how 
ever,  in  some  measure  supplied  by  the  week-day  Evening  Lectures, 
which  are  more  convenient  to  our  present  habits,  and  which  Chris- 
tians in  most  large  towns  have  now  an  opportunity  of  attending. 


106  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

our  expressions  accompanied  by  suitable  affections,  by  holy 
longings  and  thirstings  of  soul  after  God ;  in  short,  when 
the  whole  rnan  is  dedicated  to  the  solemn  act  of  worship- 
ping God. 

There  is  no  beauty  of  holiness,  without  a  reference  to 
the  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ.  God  cannot,  but  through 
Ilim,  look  on  sinners  Avith  acceptance.  But  Jesus  Christ, 
like  the  High  Priest  of  Israel,  bears  "the  iniquity  of  the 
holy  things  which  the  children  of  Israel  hallow  in  all  their 
holy  gifts."  He  has  holiness  to  the  Lord  "  upon  his  fore- 
head, that  they  may  be  accepted  before  the  Lord.'^  Every 
prayer  must  be  offered  up  in  his  name.f 

It  may  be  useful  to  point  out  some  things  inconsistent 
with  this  due  worship  of  God. 

An  unprepared  mind,  thoughtless  of  the  work  till  about 
to  be  engaged  in  it,  will  very  generally  lead  to  careless 
^  worship. 

Coming  from  wrong  motives  will  lead  to  the  same  thing-. 
Some  come  merely  from  form  or  custom,  or  to  be  seen  of 
men ;  without  any  expectation  of  finding  the  presence  of 
God,  or  any  desire  to  obtain  his  grace.  Others  come 
merely  as  a  self-righteous  act,  fancying  public  worship  to 
be  a  species  of  meritorious  obedience,  fnat  will  entitle  them 
to  heaven. 

Carelessness  and  irreverence  mark  the  worship  of  some. 
They  come  in  late,  in  the  middle  of  prayers,  when  they 
have  it  in  their  power  to  come  in  good  time.  Not  to  men- 
tion the  bad  effect  of  this  as  an  example,  only  consider  for 
a  moment  the  disturbance  which  it  occasions  in  the  devo- 
tions of  others.  It  has  been  justly  observed,  "a  well- 
tutored  mind  will  revolt  at  the  thought  of  unnecessarily 
disturbing  others  in  the  most  solemn  of  all  employments. 
If  you  look  at  the  various  cb.sses  of  Christians,  you  will 
find,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  that  those  who  have  been 
the  greatest  honor  to  religion,  and  added  most  to  the  edifi- 
cation of  their  brethren,  attended  on  God's  worship  steadily 

*  Exodus  xxviii.  38. 

t  John  xiv.  13,  14.  Here  I  cannot  hut  remark,  that  the  conclusion 
of  the,  various  Collects  in  tiie  Ijliirgy  gives  the  members  of  our 
church  a  frequent  and  continual  apportunit}-  of  having  respect  to 
the  intercession  of  the  Savior,  and  offering  up  every  petition  in  his 
name.  Many  excellent  persons  have  found  the  advantage  and  com 
Ibrt  of  this. 


A    TREATISE    Orf    PRAYER.  107 

aiid  in  proper  time.  There  is  often  a  striking  analogy  be- 
tween people's  manner  in  such  things,  and  their  general 
character."* 

Others  are  careless  during  worship.  They  sit  at  the 
proper  time  for  kneeling  or  standing,  though  no  bodily  in- 
firmities may  require  it.f  They  look  about  them,  and  are 
attracted  by  any  thing  that  may  pass  in  the  congregation. 
But  if  servant?  were  to  come  before  any  master  on  earth  to 
ask  for  a  favor  in  the  same  careless  disrespectful  way,  what 
could  they  expect,  but  a  denial  of  their  request,  and  a  re- 
buke for  their  contempt  of  his  person  and  presence  ]  Our 
minds  and  faculties  ought  to  be  aba:)rbed  in  the  great  act 
of  worshippinof  Jehovah,  the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh; 
but,  alas !  all  have  more  or  less  reason  to  bewail  sad  wan- 
derings and  distractions  of  spirit 

These  things  are  inconsistent  with  worshipping  God  as 
we  ought.  Our  Lord  says,  ''  that  his  true  worshippers  shall 
wors'iip  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

As  some  of  the  directions  which  follow  will  have  a  par- 
ticular reference  to  those  who  join  in  the  forms  of  our 
church,  it  may  be  expedient  to  point  out  some  of  the  ad- 
vaal aires  of  a  Lilur^y.\  Great  allowance  must  indeed 
be  made  for  the  power  of  custom  and  education,  which 
have  such  an  influence  upon  our  minds,  as  much  to  affect 

*  See  Kinghorn  on  Public  Worship.  Mr.  Scott  remarks,  "  It  is 
certainly  very  dishonorable  to  Grod  whom  we  worship,  and  very  ir- 
r<^vere)it,  and  a  very  bad  exaraple  to  others,  for  persons  to  be  fre- 
quently, or  without  sufficient  reason,  toolate  at  a  place  of  worfship; 
to  the  interruption  of  others,  aisd  often  (I  speak  feelingly)  of  him 
who  leads  tlie  worship. — There  is  nothing  that  with  me  tends  so 
much  to  make  our  public  worship  formal,  as  the  continual  inter- 
ruption which  arises  from  persons  coming  in  after  the  service  is  be- 
gun."    See  the  volura-e  of  his  letters. 

t  The  propriety  of  kneeling  in  public  worship  ts  nranifested  by 
various  Scripture  exami)les.  2.  Chron.  vi.  12, 13;  Ezra  ix, 5;  Dan.  vi. 
10;  Paul,  Acts  xxi.  5;  Eph.  iii.  14.  Observe  the  invitation  of  tlie 
Psa'm  st,  (Ps.  xcv.  6.)  "O  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down,  let 
us  kneel  before  the  Lord  or.r  Maker^' — and  the  example  of  our  Lord, 
who  "kneeled  down  and  prayed"  (Luke  xvii.  41.)  and  also  of  St. 
Paul,  (see  Acts  xx.  3n,)  where  it  is  said  that  he  ^'kneeled  down  and 
prayed  with  them  all." 

X  We  are  here  speaking  of  forms  of  prayer,  not  for  private  or  fam- 
ily, but  for  public  worship.  The  word  Liturgy  is  derived  from  a 
Greek  word,  signifying  pii6Zic  xvorh-  be  who  labors  not  in  his  pray- 
ers, does  not  pray  aright. 


108  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

our  devotional  feelings.  One  who  has  been  accustompd 
to  join  a  congregation  in  worshipping  without  forms,  haa 
perhaps  a  great  prejudice  against  them,  and  may  find  it 
difficult  with  a  form  to  worship  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
But  another  having  found  the  presence  of  God  in  the 
simple  and  scriptural  devotion  of  our  Liturgy,  will  find 
extempore  prayer,  in  public  worship,  an  impediment  to  his 
devotions. 

While  it  is  admitted  that  there  is  danger  of  mere  formal- 
ity, weariness,  and  inattentiveness,  both  to  the  minister  and 
people,  in  the  use  of  forms  of  prayer ;  yet  it  appears  to  the 
writer,  that  this  danger  is  not  confined  to  them  ;  it  is,  alas  ! 
the  grand  difficulty  of  all  desiring  true  prayer,  however 
they  may  \vor5hi]).  It  also  appears  to  him,  that  our  Lit- 
urgy has  advantages  which  we  cannot  otherwise  so  com- 
pletely and  effectually  receive ;  independent  of  the  fact, 
that  pious  clergymen  continually  find  the  advantage  of 
having  an  exposition  of  divine  truth  of  acknowledged  ex- 
cellence to  refer  to  as  a  standard. 

Our  Lord  says,  "  If  any  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth 
as  touching  any  thing  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done 
for  them."  Now,  though  there  is  in  the  mind  of  man,  that 
quickness  of  apprehension  and  consent,  which  may  obtain 
the  benefit  of  this  promise  in  extempore  prayer,  yet  the 
agreement  of  desire  spoken  of  may  be  more  specially  and 
ftilly  attained  in  the  use  of  a  form,  which  all  the  Christians 
who  meet  together  have  long  known  and  approved.  Is  there 
not  also  a  danger  in  extempore  prayer, lest  the  mind  of  the 
hearer,  being  held  in  continual  expectation,  should  be  de- 
tained from  its  proper  business  by  the  very  novelty  with 
which  it  is  gratified  ? 

Where  the  worship  of  those  w^ho  join  in  our  Liturgy  is 
sincere,  may  we  not  say,  that  this  is  more  manifestly 
"praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost ]"  because,  while  the  heart  is 
engaged,  and  the  desires  expressed  are  scriptural,  the  mere 
natural  affections  cannot  have  been  raised  by  novelty  of 
expression  or  sentiment.  So  far,  therefore,  from  there  be- 
ing less,  there  is,  to  a  spiritual  worshipper,  greater  evidence 
in  the  use  of  forms  of  obtaining  and  enjoying  communion 
with  God. 

It  is  sometimes  objected,  that  forms  stmt  and  limit  the 
Spirit ;  but  let  it  never  be  forgotten,  that  the  great  thing" 
wanted  in  prayer  is  not  the  multitude  and  variety  of  ex- 


A   TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  109 

pressions,  but  an  eng-ao^ed  heart  and  warm  affections.  '•  They 
who  use  forms  pray  by  the  Spirit  when  their  petitions  are 
accompanied  with  "fervent  affections  stirred  in  them  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  They  who  are  most  fluent  in  conceived  prayer, 
may  pray  only  from  the  strength  of  their  natural  parts  and 
endowments.'' 

Some  are  offended  at  the  repetitions  of  our  Liturgy ;  and 
it  is  readily  admitted,  that  neither  this  nor  any  other  human 
composition  is  perfect  But  Bishop  Hopkins,  speaking  to 
tiiose  offended  at  the  frequent  recurrence  of  the  same  re- 
quests, says,  ••  It  is  much  in  their  own  power,''  that  is,  by 
due  watchfulness,  dependence  on  Christ,  and  the  like,  "  to 
make  them  to  be  either  vain  repetitions,  or  the  most  fervent 
insreminations  of  their  most  affectionate  desires  unto  God, 
and  the  most  spiritual  and  forcible  part  of  all  their  prayers 
and  supplications."  It  may  be  obsened,  that  there  is  no- 
thing in  Scripture  against  the  lawfulness  of  using  forms; 
and  the  form  of  prayer  given  by  our  Lord,  \s"ith  the  direc- 
tion, '•  When  ye  pray,  say.  Our  Father,"  &:c.  (Luke  xi,  2,) 
appears  satisfactory,  as  was  before  observed,  both  as  to 
the  ailowableness  and  e.xpediency  of  forms.  It  may  also 
be  again  remarked,  how  much  of  the  whole  Bible  is  a  con- 
tinued series  of  prayers,  so  that  no  one  can  pray  judicious- 
ly, and  at  length,  without  bringing  in  many  scriptural  forms 
of  prayer. 

The  candid  testhnony  of  those  who  dissent  from  us  is 
very  satisfactory  respecting  the  excellence  of  our  Liturgy. 
Doddridge,  writing  to  a  member  of  a  dissenting  congrega- 
tion, says,  "  I  doubt  not  but  many  pious  souls  in  the  Estab- 
lished Church,  have  daily  converse  with  God,  in  the  offices 
of  it  and  I  heartily  rejoice  in  the  thought"  The  eloquent 
and  excellent  Robert  Hall  of  Leicester,  speaks  still  more 
decidedly,  and  says  of  the  Liturgy.  "  Though  a  Protestant 
Dissenter,  I  am  by  no  means  insensible  to  its  merits:  I 
believe  that  the  Evangelical  purity  of  its  sentiments,  the 
chELstened  fervor  of  its  devotion,  and  the  majestic  simplici- 
ty of  its  language,  have  combined  to  place  it  in  the  very 
first  rank  of  uninspired  compositions."' 

It  is  promised  to  the  Church,  "  Kings  shall  be  thy  nurs- 
ing fathers,  and  queens  thy  nursing  mothers:"  and  who 
that  has  a  just  and  enlarged  view  of  the  vcirious  talents  and 
characters  of  those  who  minister  in  holy  things,  and  of 
ne  difficulty  of  always  choosing  fit  instruments,  but  must 
K 


110  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

rejoice,  that,  in  our  National  Establishment,  whoever  min- 
isters, there  is  a  devout  and  scriptural  Liturgy,  in  which 
the  congregation  may  join  and  worship  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth  1  ° 

Places  set  apart  for  public  worship,  are  not  only  neces- 
sary for  us  to  assemble  ourselves  together,  but  the  liabit  of 
meeting  there  only  for  religious  purposes,  has  also  a  ten- 
dency to  withdraw  our  minds  from  the  world.  There  is  a 
relative  holiness  about  them,  as  they  are  set  apart  for  holy 
ends,  like  the  hill  of  Sion.  One  of  the  greatest  instances 
of  our  Lord's  displeasure  was  for  the  profanation  of  the 
temple.  Mark  xi.  17.  There  may,  however,  be  an  erro- 
neous idea  of  sanctity  attached  to  the  place  where  we  wor- 
ship. If  we  consider  a  church  as  the  proper  dwelling-place 
of  God,  where  he  is  nearer  to  us  to  hear  our  prayers,  or 
ascribe  to  it  an  imaginary  sanctity,  rendering  our  devotions 
more  holy,  we  mistake  the  use  of  God's  house.  "  The  Most 
High  dwells  not  in  temples  made  with  hands :"  and  our 
Lord  teaches  us  to  worship,  not  in  any  particular  place,  but 
"  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

To  assist  in  this,  the  followmg  directions  are  added. 

I.  A  due  approach  to  the  house  of  God. 

Prepare  for  public  worship.  The  preparation  of  the 
heart  is  requisite  before  prayer.  "Prepare  thine  heart, 
and  stretch  out  thine  hands  towards  him."*  Amos,  (ch.  iv. 
12.)  tells  us,  "Prepare  to  meet  thy  God."  While  this 
applies  more  particularly  to  God's  coming  to  Israel  in 
wrath  and  judgment,  let  it  also  direct  us  to  a  suitable  pre- 
paration of  mind  in  all  our  intercourse  with  him,  "  whose 
name  is  Holy."  We  are  to  "  remember  the  Sabbath-day 
to  keep  it  holy."t  Respecting  the  duties  of  the  Sabbath 
in  particular,  it  is  profitable  to  think  of  them,  and  prepare 
for  them,  the  evening  before.  Sir  Matthew  Hale  says  to 
bis  children,  "  I  would  not  have  you  meddle  with  any  re- 
creations, pastimes,  or  ordinary  work  of  your  calling,  from 
Saturday  night  at  eight  o'clock,  till  Monday  morning. 
For  though  I  am  not  apt  to  think  that  Saturday  night  is 
part  of  the  Christian  Sabbath,  yet  it  is  fit  thus  to  prepare 
the  heart  for  it"     We  should  not  rush  hastily  into  the 

♦  Job  xi.  13.  t  Exod.  xx. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  Ill 

Divine  presence.  "  God  is  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the  as- 
sembly of  the  saints,  and  to  be  had  in  reverence  of  all 
them  that  are  about  him."*  That  great  and  glorious  Lord 
and  Savior,  who  "holdeth  the  seven  stars  in  his  right 
hand,  and  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden 
candlesticks,"!  is  especially  present.  The  Apostle  seems 
to  intimate,  that  the  angels  who  are  "  ministering  spirits 
sent  forth  to  minister  to  the  heirs  of  salvation,"  attend  in 
Christian  assemblies.  1  Cor.  xi.  10.  We  should  feel  with 
David,  "  holiness  becometh  thine  house,  O  Lord,  for  ever,"| 
and  shall  thus  be  led  to  see  that  a  due  preparation  of  heart 
IS  suitable  and  needful.  If  you  can,  then,  obtain  time  and 
opportunity  for  this  purpose,  I  would  exhort  you  to  pre- 
pare your  hearts  by  secret  prayer  and  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures. It  has  been  found  by  some  to  be  a  good  practice  to 
read  the  Lessons  of  the  day  before  the  service.  One  emi- 
nently good  man  was  accustomed  to  spend  most  of  the 
Sabbath  morning  in  secret  prayer  and  meditation,  and  was 
v/ont  to  say,  "  We  many  times  blame  the  minister,  when 
the  fault  is  our  own,  that  we  have  not  prayed  for  him  as  we 
should." 

Be  watchful  over  your  spirit  in  going.  Much  of  our 
spirituality  and  comfort  in  public  worship  depends  on  the 
state  of  mind  in  which  we  come.  We  should,  as  far  as 
may  be,  abstain  not  only  from  worldly  business,  but  worldly 
conversation  and  thoughts  on  the  Sabbath.  "A  dream 
Cometh,"  says  Solomon,  "  through  the  multitude  of  busi- 
ness."§  If  you  are  conversing  or  thinking  on  the  things 
of  this  world  till  you  enter  the  house  of  God,  how  is  it 
possible  that  your  heart  can  at  once  be  raised  to  God  ] 

Earnestly  aim  at  going  thither  in  the  spirit  of  prayer^ 
looking  upwards  for  the  divine  blessing  to  give  life,  efficacy, 
and  unction  to  the  outward  service.  It  would  be  happy 
for  us  if  we  could  always  go  in  that  spirit  which  David  de- 
scribes :  "  O  God,  thou  art  my  God,  early  will  I  seek  thee ; 
my  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee,  in  a 
dry  and  thirsty  land,  where  no  water  is ;  to  see  thy  power 
and  thy  glory,  so  as  I  have  seen  thee  in  the  sanctuary."|| 
When  we  come  in  any  thing  of  this  spirit,  how  different  a 

*  Ps.  Ixxxix.  7.  t  Rev.  ii.  7  t  Ps.  xciii.  5. 

$  Eccles.  V.  3.  II  Ps.  IxiiL  1,  2. 


112  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

service  is  public  worship  from  what  it  is  when  we  come 
carelessly !    How  humbling-,  how  awful,  how  elevating  ! 

Let  us  also  go  in  the  spirit  of  praise.  "  I  was  glad 
when  they  said  unto  me,  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the 
Lord."*  We  should  come  up  to  his  house  with  a  thankful, 
grateful  spirit;  with  the  feeling  of  children  going  to  their 
parents ;  not  in  the  spirit  of  bondage,  but  in  the  spirit  of 
adoption.  A  dutiful  child,  entirely  dependent  on  the  bounty, 
wisdom,  and  love  of  its  kind  father,  after  experiencing  the 
contempt  or  unfriendly  treatment  to  which  a  stranger  in  a 
foreign  country  is  exposed,  loves  to  go  to  the  father's  dwell- 
ing. While  we  are  in  this  hostile  and  ensnaring  world,  it 
is  our  privilege  to  do  so ;  "  to  serve  the  Lord  with  gladness, 
and  come  before  his  presence  with  singing.  Enter  into  his 
gates  with  thanksgiving,  and  into  his  courts  with  praise." 

Yet  let  holy  joy  be  ever  connected  with  Godly  fear. 
The  Jews  were  commanded,  "  Reverence  my  sanctuary."f 
And  Solomon's  directions  should  be  often  in  our  thoughts : 
"  Keep  thy  foot,"  (watch  and  mark  all  the  motions  of  soul 
and  body,  restraining  all  that  would  be  unbecoming) 
"  when  thou  goest  to  the  house  of  God,  and  be  more  ready 
to  hear  than  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  fools.  Be  not  rash 
with  thy  mouth,  and  let  not  thy  heart  be  hasty  to  utter  any 
thing  before  God,  for  God  is  in  heaven,  and  thou  upon 
earth ;  therefore  let  thy  words  be  few."J  We  should  en- 
deavor to  have  that  lively  impression  of  the  divine  pres- 
ence, which  pervaded  Jacob's  mind,  after  his  intercourse 
with  his  God ;  "  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place — how 
dreadful  is  this  place  !  this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of 
God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."^  The  more  just  and 
lively  views  we  have  of  God's  character,  presence,  and 
glory,  the  more  we  shall  seek  to  honor  him.  This  reve- 
rence St.  Paul  urges ;  "  Let  us  have  grace,"  (we  cannot  do 
without  it,)  "  whereby  we  may  serve  God  acceptably,  with 
reverence  and  godly  fear."|| 

Closely  connected  with  this  reverence  will  be  deep  self- 
abasement.  We  may  always  observe  this,  when  God's 
servants  have  had  near  approaches  to  him,  or  a  true  view 
of  his  glory,  they  have  been  greatly  humbled  in  the  sense 
of  their  own  sinfulness ;  as  Abraham,  "  Behold,  now  I  have 

*  Ps.  cxxii.  1.  t  Lev.  xix.  30.  t  Eccles.  v.  1, 2. 

$  Gen.  xxxviii.  16, 17.  II  Heb.  xii.  2a 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  113 

taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord,  which  am  but  dust 
and  ashes  ;"*  or  as  Job,  "  Behold,  I  am  vile,  what  shall  I 
answer  thee  ]  I  will  lay  mine  hand  upon  my  mouth  ;"f  or 
as  Isaiah,  "  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  undone,  because  I  am  a 
man  of  unclean  lips;  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people 
of  unclean  lips ;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King-,  the 
Lord  of  Hosts."!  ^^^^  should  come  with  that  feeling  which 
Daniel  well  expresses,  "  We  do  not  present  our  supplica- 
tions before  thee,  O  Lord,  for  our  righteousness,  but  for  thy 
great  mercies."^ 

IL  A  due  behavior  in  the  house  of  God. 

Those  who  come  with  the  views  and  feelings  which  I 
have  mentioned,  will  readily  admit  the  propriety  and  follow 
tlie  practice  of  the  custom  among  us,  first  to  seek  in  pri- 
vate the  grace  of  God  to  help  us  in  our  vrorship.  Let  this 
be  done  briefly  and  fervently ;  constantly,  but  not  forma'Uy.H 

*  G«n.  xviii.  27.        t  Job  xl.  4.         t  Isa.  vi.  5.         $  Dan.  ix.  18. 

II I  cannot  here  but  quote  an  admirable  prayer  of  Bonnel's :  his 
Biographer  says,  "When  he  came  early  to  church,  and  could  get  to 
a  retired  place,  he  continued  at  his  private  devotions  until  the  pub- 
lic service  began,  or  a  very  little  before ;  and  how  he  employed 
those  happy  raomen:s  of  privacy  and  devotion  in  the  house  of  God, 
the  following  prayer,  mentioned  as  used  by  him  ia  the  Church  be 
fore  morning  prayer  began,  will  show  : 

"Behold,  O  Lord,  this  portion  of  thy  family,  whom  in  this  placo 
ihou  hast  so  often  graciously  visited  and  favored  ;  and  who,  having 
addicted  and  given  up  ourselves  to  thy  service,  are  here  met  to- 
gether in  behalf  of  ourselves  and  of  the  rest  of  our  happy  number, 
and  of  all  our  Christian  brethren,  even  thy  whole  Church.  We  be- 
seech thee  to  unite  our  hearts  more  and  more  in  thyself,  that  we 
may  have  but  one  heart,  and  one  mind,  as  we  have  but  one  design, 
one  aim,  and  hope.  Let  us  now  welcome  each  other  with  hearts 
full  of  love  and  joy,  into  thy  presence,  as  we  hope  one  day  to  wel- 
come each  other  in  thy  presence  in  glorj-.  Let  our  civil  respects  be- 
fore thy  service  begins,  be  such  hearty  and  holy  salutations  as  the 
blessed  Elizabeth  gave  to  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  and  may  we 
have  leave  to  say  to  each  other,  'Hail,  thou  that  art  favored  of  God  ; 
the  Lord  is  with  thee  !'  Behold,  we  come  with  united  hearts,  to  beg 
of  thee  the  confirming  of  thy  grace  and  favor  to  us ;  we  come  to 
present  ourselves  before  thee,  with  most  thankful  acknow-ledgmenta 
for  thy  mercies  received,  and  to  adore  thee  who  hast  so  graciously 
visited  us.  We  come  humbly  to  implore  of  thee  strength  againsi 
our  respective  temptations  and  difficuUies  in  life ;  to  beseech  thee  to 
supply  all  our  weaknesses;  to  make  us  happily  victorious  against aU 
our  corruptions ;  and  more  than  conquerors  through  thee  who  hast 
loped  us.  But,  Oour  bountiful  Lord  God  !  if  it  be  such  joy  to  rae«t 
K2 


114  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

The  great  thing  is  to  keep  our  minds  and  affections  fixed 
on  the  duty  before  us,  so  as  to  be  able  to  say,  "This  one 
thing  I  do."  Aim,  then,  to  have  the  mind  engaged,  and 
affections  excited  suitable  to  every  part  of  the  service. 
Protestants  see  at  once  the  folly  of  praying  in  an  unlcnown 
tongue ;  but,  unless  the  heart  join  in  the  prayer — unless, 
when  the  minister  "  bless  with  the  Spirit,  he  that  occupieth 
the  room  of  the  unlearned,  say.  Amen,"  (i.  e.)  really  join 
with  his  heart  "  at  thy  giving  of  thanks,"*  it  is  as  unprotita- 
ble  as  if  he  prayed  in  a  foreign  language.  Prayers  are  not 
to  be  heard  as  sermons,  but  to  be  really  offered  up  to  God 
in  the  desire  of  the  heart.  In  the  word  read  and  preached 
by  the  minister,  let  us  hear  God  speaking,  and  receive  it  in 
faith.  In  joining  the  confessions  of  sin,  let  memory  bring 
before  you  your  particular  transgressions;  and  let  your 
hearts  confess  as  well  as  your  lips.  In  petitions  for  pardon 
and  a  supply  of  necessities,  let  faith  realize  the  power  and 
willingness  of  God  to  give.  In  praying  for  others,  remem- 
ber, God's  children  are  members  of  that  one  body  to  which 
you  are  united ;  and  those  now  in  darkness  may  yet  be 
fellow-members  of  the  same  body.  Truly  desire  their  best 
good.  In  thanksgiving,  call  to  mind  your  own  particular 
mercies,  and  your  utter  unworthiness  of  them.  Our  hearts 
should  overflow  with  gratitude,  while  our  mouth  is  filled 
with  praise.  We  should  have  David's  feelings — "  O  mag- 
nify the  Lord  with  me,  and  let  us  exalt  his  name  together."! 

But  in  all,  have  an  especial  reference  to  the  mediation, 
intercession,  and  grace  of  Christ.  Vain  are  all  the  forego- 
ing rules  and  hints,  without  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  your 
heart.  You  cannot  really,  or  profitably,  practise  one  of 
them,  unless  the  Holy  Spirit  be  in  you ;  for  however  neces- 
sary rules  and  precepts  may  be,  never  yet  was  a  Christian 
formed  by  rules  alone,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ  giving 
life  to  the  letter,  and  writing  the  rule  in  the  heart.     He  is 

those  whom  we  love  now  in  thy  presence,  what  will  it  be  to  meet 
ten  thousand  glorified  spirits,  each  of  which  we  shall  love  infinitely 
more  in  thy  kingdom  of  glory  than  we  can  do  any  creature  here ! 
Glory  be  to  thee,  O  Lord  of  glory  and  of  love,  who  hast  given  U8 
such  present  pleasure  in  thy  service,  and  such  comfortable  hopes  of 
those  eternal  good  things  which  thou  hast  prepared  for  them  that 
love  thee.  Amen." 
•  1  Cor.  xiv.  16.  t  Ps.  xxxiv.  3. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  115 

present  *  By  faith,  then,  realize  his  presence.  It  spreads  a 
savor — it  imparts  a  life  and  beauty — it  throws  a  glory  upon 
Christian  assemblies.  Believe,  then,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
to  be  standing  in  the  midst  of  his  people,  giving  power  to 
the  prayers,  and  efficacy  to  the  blessing  at  the  close,  and 
offering  up  in  heaven  all  those  petitions  which  you  have 
made  on  earth. 

While  the  prayers  which  the  minister  has  to  read  alone 
are  repeating,  do  not  accompany  him  by  your  voice,  or  in 
whispers :  this  well-meaning  people  sometimes  do :  but  it 
disturbs  the  devotions  of  others.  The  thing  to  be  aimed  at 
is,  that  your  heart  go  along  with  all  the  service,  desiring 
every  blessing,  and  holding  unseen  communion  with  God. 

And,  Christian  reader,  may  I  not  appeal  to  you,  that 
when  you  have  come  to  the  house  of  God  in  the  spirit  of 
prayer,  and  with  an  earnest  longing  to  enjoy  the  presence 
of  God,  and  the  communion  of  saints  with  your  fellow 
Christians,  you  have  found  in  some  of  the  pathetic  expres- 
sions of  our  Liturgy,  that  nearness  to  God,  and  that  mter- 
course  with  him,  which  has  been  to  your  own  mind  a  mani- 
fest fulfilment  of  the  promise  to  be  present  witli  us  when 
we  meet  in  his  name.  For  instance,  in  repeating  those 
earnest  entreaties  for  mercy  at  the  end  of  the  Litany,  "  O 
Lamb  of  God  that  takest  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  have 
mercy  upon  us !  O  Christ,  hear  us !"  have  you  not,  in  happy 
moments,  found  your  hearts  deeply  affected,  elevated,  and 
drawn  out  to  the  Savior  1 

The  spiritual  worship  of  God  in  every  part  of  the  ser- 
vice, without  wandering  or  distracted  thoughts,  is  one  of 
the  highest  attainments  of  the  Christian,  and  perhaps  not 
to  be  expected  on  this  side  of  the  grave ;  but,  alas,  how  far 
from  this  are  we  in  general !  The  writer  mourns  his  own 
continual  failure  of  spiritual  worship,  while  he  is  endeavor- 
ing to  exhort  others  to  seek  its  attainment.  Tt  has  been 
observed,  "  How  empty  would  our  congregation!)  be  some- 
times, if  no  more  bodies  were  present  than  there  are  sf)uls  ? 
And  what  abundance  of  sorry  service  hath  Our  God  that 
nobody  sees  I"  This  subject  will  be  more  fully  considered 
hereafter.  Sec  chapter  xi. 

The  hearing  of  the  truth  in  faith,  humility,  and  love,  i% 
a  most  important  part  in  the  solemnities  of  public  worship. 

*  Matlh.  xviii.  20. 


116  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

On  this,  however,  we  cannot  here  enlarge.  Let  it  only  bo 
observed,  that  the  more  we  can  hear  with  a  devout  heart, 
with  a  soul  continually  darting  up  holy  desires  that  God 
would  send  home  to  our  hearts  what  we  hear,  the  more 
we  thus  hear  with  self-application  and  earnest  prayer,  the 
more  profit  we  shall  receive. 

After  tlie  close  of  the  service,  you  should  be  glad  of  the 
pause  allowed  in  all  well-ordered  congregations,  for  secret 
prayer  to  God,  that  he  may  pardon  every  imperfection,  and 
impress  all  that  you  have  heard  on  your  heart. 

III.  A  due  return  from  worship. 

Alas !  how  alive  is  the  great  adversary  to  rob  us  of  every 
good  which  we  may  obtain !  The  benefit  and  comfort  of 
meeting  our  fellow  Christians  in  a  solemn  act  of  worship, 
are  ofl;en  lost  by  the  vain  or  trifling  conversation  with  them, 
which  so  frequently  succeeds  immediately  on  leaving  the 
church.  Is  it  not  the  fulfilling  of  that  saying,  "  When 
they  have  heard,  Satan  cometh  immediately  and  taketli 
away  the  word  that  was  sown  in  their  hearts  1"* 

Christians  should  aim  at  carrying  on  the  benefits  of  pub- 
lic worship  by  suitable,  spiritual,  and  heavenly  conversa- 
tion, while  obliged  to  be  in  company.  And  they  should, 
when  practicable,  retire  as  soon  as  may  be  from  the  church 
to  the  closet,  to  examine  what  has  been  the  state  of  their 
minds,  and  to  meditate  and  pray  over  what  they  have 
heard  and  done.  It  would  greatly  assist  in  impressing  the 
sermon  deeply  on  your  heart,  to  turn,  as  soon  as  may  be 
after  hearing  it,  the  substance  of  it  into  a  prayer ;  confess- 
ing the  sins  that  have  been  brought  home  to  your  con- 
science, and  asking  for  grace  to  fulfil  the  duties  that  have 
been  enforced.     O  that  all  ministers  had  such  hearers ! 

Lactantius  says,  "  That  is  not  true  religion  which  is  left 
it  the  church.  The  holy  and  heavenly  principles  enforced, 
or  exercised  there,  should  be  carefully  nourished  to  influ- 
ence the  life."  The  Church  of  Christ  would  soon  assume 
a  far  brighter  character,  did  we  duly  bnprove  this  great 
means  of  grace. 

But  as  there  is  danger  of  a  careless  return,  so  there  is 
danger  of  self-righteousness.  Mixed  and  defiled  as  all  our 
services  are,  yet  through  the  blindness  of  our  minds,  we 

*  Mark,  iv.  15. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  117 

are  apt  to  think  we  are  something  when  we  are  nothing. 
Though  it  is  the  highest  act  of  divine  mercy  that  God  is 
willing  to  hear  us,  we  are  ready  to  fancy  that  we  are  doing 
something  for  him,  and  put  him  under  an  obligation  by 
praying.  I  appeal  to  those  who  have  watched  their  hearts 
for  the  truth  of  this.  O  beware  of  this  self-righteous  spirit 
which  would  taint  all  you  do.  "  When  you  shall  have 
done  all  those  things  which  are  commanded  you,  (and  who 
has  done  this]  but  supposing  the  case)  say,  We  are  un- 
profitable servants ;  we  have  done  that  which  was  our  duty 
to  do."* 

Yet  let  not  any  (for  we  are  apt  to  err  on  every  side)  be 
too  much  discouraged  hy  the  strictness  recommended. 
The  writer  freely  confesses  how  much  he  falls  short  of 
what  he  recommends;  "the  good  I  would,  I  do  not;  the 
evil  I  would  not,  that  I  do."  Let  the  conviction  of  our  fall- 
ing short  only  lead  us  to  see  the  necessity  of  a  total  surren- 
der to  the  righteousness  of  our  crucified,  risen,  and  inter- 
ceding Savior ;  and  to  come  more  simply  to  him  for  strength 
to  do  that  which  is  of  manifest  excellence,  and  a  plain  duty. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FAMILY  WORSHIP.t 

There  are  some  very  important  means  of  grace,  and 
outward  observances,  which  are  plainly  implied  in  the 
word  of  God,  for  the  performance  of  which  we  have  few, 
if  any,  positive,  plain,  and  express  precepts.  We  are  left 
to  gather  them  from  the  examples  of  holy  men,  and  from 
various  incidental  circumstances :  such,  in  some  degree,  is 
the  duty  of  public,  and  such  more  plainly  is  the  duty  of 
family  worship. 

The  reasons  may  be  these.  The  Christian  dispensation 
is  designed  as  a  religion  for  people  in  every  country,  and 
in  every  situation  in  which  a  human  being  can  be  placed. 

*  Luke,  xvii.  10. 

t  The  greatest  part  of  this  chapter  may  perhaps  be  read  with  ad- 
vantage by  the  master  of  a  family,  wiien  first  beginning  to  attend  to 
Ulis  duty. 


118  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

It  is  more  of  a  spiritual  transaction  between  God  and  the 
soul  than  the  Mosaic  dispensation  was.  Had  there  then 
been  positive  precepts  respectinij  the  means  of  grace,  and 
the  circumstantials  of  rclig-ion,  and  particularly  respecting 
tuTie,  place,  or  frequency,  the  tender  conscience,  of  which 
God  has  ever  manifested  particular  regard,  would  necessa- 
rily have  been  burdened  when  placed  in  situations  where 
the  duty  was  impracticable."* 

By  this,  also,  another  important  end  is  answered.  A 
trial  is  made  of  men's  spirits.  It  is  seen,  whether,  because 
a  positive  precept  cannot  be  brought  requiring  its  perform- 
ance, men  will  neglect  a  duty  plainly  implied.  Thus  more 
of  the  real  state  of  our  minds  is  discovered,  and  it  is  mani- 
fesited  whether  we  have,  or  have  not,  a  full  and  ardent  love 
for  God,  his  worship,  and  service. 

It  will  not,  however,  be  difficult  to  prove  the  obligation 
to  family  worship  in  various  ways. 

Consider  the  example  of  Abraham^  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  and  the  friend  of  God.  His  family  piety  is  that  for 
vi^hich  he  is  blessed  by  Jehovah  himself:  "  I  know  Abra- 
ham, that  he  will  command  his  children,  and  his  household 
after  him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord  to  do 
justice  and  judgment,  that  the  Lord  may  bring  upon  Abra- 
ham that  which  he  hath  spoken  of  him."  Abraham  is  here 
commended  for  instructing  his  children  and  his  liousehold 
in  the  most  important  of  all  duties,  "  the  way  of  the  Lord," 
the  great  doctrines  of  religion,  and  "justice  and  judgment," 
its  great  duties.  And  observe,  "  he  will  command"  them  ; 
that  is,  he  will  use  that  just  authority  which  God  gives  the 
father  and  head  of  a  family  in  the  religious  instruction  of 
his  children.  Abraham  also  prayed  with,  as  well  as  in- 
structed his  family.  Wherever  he  fixed  his  tent,  there  he 
built  an  altar  to  the  Lord. — This  we  read  he  did  in  the 
plain  Moi  iah.  And  when  ho  removed  to  a  mountain  on 
the  east  of  Bethel,  "  there  he  built  an  altar,  and  called  upon 
vhe  name  of  the  Lord."f  Now  we  may  say  to  those  who 
neglect  family  worship,  that  as  all  real  Christians  are 
*'  Abraham's  seed,"J  "  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye 
fvould  do  the  works  of  Abraham."^     Your  neglect  of  this 

*  See  Cecil's  Remains.  t  Gen.  xii.  7,  8. 

i  Gal.  iii.  29.  $  John,  viii.  39. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  119 

duty,  tends  to  show  that  you  do  not  really  belong  to 
Christ* 

The  examples  of  other  holy  men  are  similar  to  that  of 
Abraham.  Consider  the  holy  determination  of  Joshua, 
who  declared  to  all  Israel,  "  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye 
will  serve ;  as  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the 
Lord."t  Neither  the  exalted  station  which  he  occupied, 
nor  his  various  and  pressing-  public  labors,  prevented  his 
attention  to  the  relio-ion  of  his  family.  When  David  had 
brought  the  ark  of  God  into  Jerusalem  with  gladness,  sac- 
rifices, and  thanksgivings,  after  discharging  all  his  public 
duties,  and  blessing  the  people  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  "  he  returned  to  bless  his  household."]:  In  addition 
to  these  might  be  brought  the  examples  of  Job,  (ch.  i.  5.) 
Daniel,  (ch.  vi.  10.)  and  others.  While  the  ark  rested  in 
the  house  of  Obed-edom,  a  blessing  came  on  him  and  all  his 
household.  Would  you  then  obtain  the  blessing  of  your 
household,  let  your  family  be  daily  assembled  for  prayer 
and  praise.  Observe  the  praise  given  to  Cornelius;  he 
was  "  a  devout  man,  and  one  that  feared  God,  with  all  his 
house ;  which  gave  much  alms  to  the  people,  and  prayed  to 
God  alway."^  The  early  Christians  practised  this  duty. 
St.  Paul  greets  the  Church  in  the  house  of  Priscilla  and 
Aquila,  when  they  were  at  Rome,l|  and  sends  the  saluta- 
tion of  the  Church  that  was  in  their  house  when  they  were 
in  Asia.*^  We  may  probably  gather  hence,  that  he  al- 
ludes rather  to  the  assembly  of  a  religious  family  than  to 
that  of  a  stated  congregation.**  When  Peter  was  released 
by  the  angel  from  prison,  "  he  came  to  the  house  of  Marj 
the  mother  of  John,  where  many  v.ere  gathered  togethei 
praying."tt 

These  examples  are  brought  forward  to  show  you,  that 

*  Let  us  also  notice  the  principle  which  influenced  Abraham— 
"If  Abraham  were  justified  by  works,  he  hath  whereof  to  plory." 
But  he  utterly  renounced  such  ideas.  In  pleading  before  God,  how 
he  abases  himselfl  "  Behold,  now  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak 
unto  the  Lord,  which  am  but  dust  and  ashes !"  Abraham  was  jus- 
tified by  faith,  and  relying  on  the  promises  of  God,  his  heart  was 
filled  with  love,  and  hence  he  sought  to  impart  to  his  family  those 
spiritual  blessings  which  he  himself  enjoyed. 

t  Josh.  xxiv.  15.  X  2  Sam.  vi.  20.  $  Acta,  x.  2. 

II  Rom.  xvi.  3.  IT  1  Cor.  xvi.  19. 

**  See  also  Col.  iv.  15 ;  Philemon,  2.  tt  Acts,  xu.  12. 


120  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

m  duly  attending  to  family  worship,  you  are  "followers  of 
them  who  through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises." 

The  example  of  Jesus  Christ  confirms  the  obligation 
arising  from  that  of  good  men.  He  was  the  head  of  his 
family,  and  his  Apostles  belong  to  his  household.*  We 
perpetually  read  how  he  instructed  them  in  private,  and 
asked  them  various  questions  as  to  their  religious  know- 
ledge.! He  often  prayed  with  his  disciples.|  You  call 
yourself  a  Christian ;  then  remember,  "  he  that  saith  he 
abideth  in  him,  ought  himself  so  to  walk,  even  as  he 
walked."^ 

Threatening s  are  pronounced  against  those  who  disre- 
gard this  duty.  Those  who  neglect  the  worship  of  God  in 
their  families,  lie  (awful  thought !)  under  the  displeasure 
of  the  Almighty,  under  the  frown  of  the  Most  High.  Ob- 
serve what  is  said.ll  "Pour  out  thy  fury  upon  the  heathen 
that  know  thee  not,  and  upon  the  families  that  call  not  upon 
thy  name."  Now,  if  the  heathen  and  their  families  are  to 
be  thus  punished,  judge  you  what  will  become  of  those 
families  in  a  Christian  land,  living  as  heathens,  without  re- 
gard to  God  and  his  worship.  Indeed,  "  if  any  provide  not 
for  his  own,  and  especially  for  his  own  house,  (both  in  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  things)  he  has  denied  the  faith,  and  is 
worse  than  an  infidel."1I  Ah,  Christian,  if  you  have  hith- 
erto neglected  this  duty,  you  should,  without  delay,  "  fly  for 
refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  you  in  the  Gospel ;"  seek  for 
pardon  through  the  blood  of  Christ :  and  henceforth  "  walk 
m  newness  of  life."  Yes,  begin  "  to-day,  while  it  is  called 
to-day,"**  to  practise  the  duty. 

Family  prayer  has  also  some  peculiar  advantages.  It  is 
a  most  important  means  of  propagating  piety  to  posterity. 
Children  are  creatures  of  imitation.  They  love  to  copy  eJI 
that  they  see  in  others.  The  characters  of  unborn  genera- 
tions may  depend  on  your  conduct  in  this  matter.ff  David 
Bays  of  the  Lord,  "  He  established  a  testimony  in  Jacob,  and 
appointed  a  law  in  Israel,  which  he  commanded  our  fathers, 
that  they  should  make  them  known  to  their  children,  that 
the  generations  to  come  might  know  them,  even  the  chil- 

*  Matt.  X.  25.  t  Matt.  xiii.  51 ;  xvi.  13. 

X  Luke,  ix.  18 ;  xi.  1.  $  1  John,  ii.  6. 

II  Jer.  X.  25.  IT  1  Tim.  v.  8. 

•♦Heb.  iii  13.  tt  Eph.  vi.  4 ;  Prov.  ixiL  6 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  121 

dren  which  should  be  born,  who  should  arise  and  declare 
them  to  their  children,  that  they  might  set  their  hope  in 
God,  and  not  forget  the  works  of  God,  but  keep  his  com- 
mandments."* Perhaps  the  present  degraded  condition  of 
the  millions  of  immortal  souls  now  living  in  idolatry,  with  all 
their  guilt  and  misery,  might  be  traced  up  to  the  neglect  of 
family  instruction,  as  one  principal  cause. 

Family  worship,  when  duly  conducted,  is  attended  with 
many  happy  effects  on  your  whole  family .  No  wonder  that 
those  who  neglect  this,  are  continually  troubled  with  the 
misconduct  and  perverseness  of  those  under  them  and  about 
them ;  no  wonder  that  jarrings,  dissensions,  and  other  disa- 
greeable circumstances,  are  continually  disquieting  them. 
It  is  just  what  might  be  expected.  How  can  they,  who  neg- 
lect the  worship  of  God  in  their  families,  look  for  peace  or 
comfort  in  them  1  I  am  sure,  also,  that  I  may  confidently 
appeal  to  those  who  have  regular  and  daily  family  prayer, 
that,  when  conducted  in  a  simple  and  devout  spirit,  it  has  a 
tendency  to  remove,  or  allay,  all  those  unhappy  passions  to 
which  our  common  nature  is  subject,  and  which,  more  or 
less,  appear  in  every  family.  It  unites  the  members  of  the 
family  together,  gives  the  head  of  it  a  feeling  of  tendemesa 
and  affection  for  those  under  him,  and  makes  them  esteem 
and  love  him.  Some  masters  are,  on  this  account,  almost 
considered  as  angels  in  their  families.  Cecil  says  of  family 
worship  rightly  conducted,  "  It  may  be  used  as  an  engine 
of  vast  power  in  a  family.  It  diffuses  a  sympathy  through 
the  members.  It  calls  the  mind  off  from  the  deadening  ef- 
fects of  worldly  affairs.  It  arrests  every  member  with  a 
morning  and  evening  sermon,  in  the  midst  of  all  the  hurries 
and  cares  of  life.  It  says,  '  There  is  a  God  !'  '  There  is  a 
spiritual  world  !'  '  There  is  a  life  to  come !'  It  fixes  the  idea 
of  responsibility  in  the  mind.  It  furnishes  a  tender  and  ju- 
dicious father  or  master,  with  an  opportunity  of  gently 
glancing  at  faults,  where  a  direct  admonition  might  be  in- 
expedient. It  enables  him  to  relieve  the  weight  with 
which  subordination  or  service  often  sits  on  the  minds  of 
inferiors." 

Family  prayer  gams  for  us  the  presence  and  blessing  of 
our  Lord.  There  is  a  promise  of  his  presence,  which  ap- 
pears peculiarly  applicable  to  this  duty.f  Many  have  found 

*  Ps.  Ixiviii.  5,  7.  t  Matt  xviii.  19,  20 


122  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

in  family  worship,  that  help  and  that  communion  with  God 
which  they  had  sought  for  with  less  effect  in  private  prayer. 
It  was  the  experience  of  one  Christian,  '•  I  find  more  of  ^he 
presence  of  God,  and  more  of  the  real  spirit  of  prayer^  in 
praying-  with  my  family,  than  in  almost  any  other  means  of 
grace."  Surely,  the  Christian,  who  really  loves  his  Savior, 
would  regularly  call  his  family  together  to  pray  with  him, 
from  this  consideration  alone,  that  he  might  enjoy  more  ot 
his  Lord's  presence. 

Dr.  Buchanan  strikingly  conlrosfs  a  family  which  wor- 
ships God,  and  a  family  ivhich  worships  him  not;  and  the 
excellence  of  the  remarks  will  justify  the  length  of  the 
quotation.  "  How  painful  it  is  to  reflect,"  he  says,  "  that 
there  should  be,  in  this  kingdom,  many  domestic  societies 
among  whom  the  worship  of  the  Deity  is  not  known,  in 
whose  houses  no  grateful  accents  are  ever  heard,  no  exul- 
tation of  heart  for  the  divine  goodness !  There  are,  indeed, 
accents  of  exultation  and  mirth :  '  and  the  harp,  and  the  viol, 
and  the  tabret,  and  the  pipe,  are  in  their  feasts :'  but  there 
is  no  remembrance  of  God  :  '  they  regard  not  the  operation 
of  his  hands.'  While  even  inanimate  nature,  in  a  certain 
sense,  offereth  praise  to  the  great  Creator,  and  fulfilleth  his 
will ;  these  men  pass  through  life  in  silence  !  Insensible  to 
the  mercies,  or  judgments,  or  power,  or  providence  of 
the  unseen  God ;  yes,  more  insensible  than  the  inhabitants 
of  heathen  lands,  upon  whom  the  light  of  truth  has  never 
shined. 

"  How  different  is  the  scene  which  is  presented  in  those 
happy  families,  where  the  voice  of  prayer  and  thanksgiving 
consecrates  every  day  !  where  the  word  of  God  is  devoutly 
read,  and  the  infants  are  taught  to  lisp  their  Creator's 
praise.  There,  from  day  to  day,  domestic  peace,  and  love, 
and  harmony,  are  cherished  by  the  sublimest  motives,  and 
strengthened  by  the  tenderest  and  most  powerful  sanctions. 
On  the  hallowed  day  they  repair,  with  gladness  of  heart,  to 
their  respective  places  of  worship,  and  mingle  with  assem- 
blies which  meet  with  much  more  delight  for  praise  and 
prayer  than  other  assemblies  for  worldly  mirth.  And  let 
not  the  world  contemn  or  disturb  their  holy  exercise :  for 
we  learn  from  Scripture,  that  it  is  from  such  families  and 
assemblies,  who  are  '  the  salt  of  the  earth,  worshipping  in 
the  midst  of  us,  that  the  incense  of  prayer  ascends  in  he 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  123 

half  of  the  country,  and  is  accepted  in  heavenly  places 
through  the  intercession  of  the  Mediator." 

Though  these  reasons  would  of  themselves  be  sufficient 
to  establish  this  duty,  and  therefore  be  a  sufficient  answer 
to  any  objections,  it  may  be  proper  to  consider  some  of  the 
objections  usually  made. 

One  objection  sometimes  offered  is,  I  have  no  ability 
to  pray  in  my  family.  I  have  no  talents  or  gifts  for  this 
work,  and  should  only  expose  myself.  It  has  been  remarked, 
"  Tliis  is  almost  the  only  case  in  which  people  are  apt  to 
have  a  very  mean  opinion  of  their  own  abilities.  But  this 
is  not  the  language  of  Christian  humility."  Let  me  reply 
to  the  objection  in  the  words  of  Milner — "  It  is  acknow- 
ledged that  many  are  unht  for  such  an  undertaking,  and 
there  are  those  who  are  forward  to  attempt  things,  for  which 
(at  least  till  they  have  more  experience)  they  are  not 
qualified.  But  we  have  good  and  sound  forms  of  prayer,* 
easily  procured,  which  you  may  make  use  of  on  these  oc- 
casions. Surely,  if  you  attend  to  this  practice,  in  a  hearty, 
conscientious  way,  avoiding  an  unmeaning,  cold  formality, 
v.^hich  is  the  too  common  bane  of  things  of  tliis  nature,  you 
may  expect  the  divine  blessing  to  accompany  it  to  yourselves 
and  your  households." 

Another  objection  is,  I  am  afraid  of  being  ridiculed,  or 
thought  unnecessarily  precise  and  strict.  This,  though  not 
much  brought  forward,  has  frequently  great  weigJit  with 
those  who  neglect  this  duty.  Now,  here,  I  say  the  irre- 
ligion  of  others  is  the  very  reason  why  you  should  be  faith- 
ful to  God.  Imitate  here  the  holy  example  of  Noah,  Abra- 
ham, Joshua,  and  all  the  servants  of  God.  If  your  religion 
were  real,  though  you  stood  alone  in  the  whole  world,  it 
might  still  be  said  of  you,  in  the  striking  expressions  of 
Milton— 

"  faithful  found 

Among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he 

Among  innumerable  false,  unmoved, 

Unshaken,  unseduced,  unterrified, 

His  loyalty  he  kept,  his  love,  his  zeal : 

rCor  number,  nor  example,  with  him  wrought 

To  swerve  from  truth,  or  change  his  constant  mind, 

Though  single."  Paradise  Lost,  Book  V. 

*As  those  of  Cotterill,  Knight.  Bean,  Svvete,  and  Jenks;  and 
Short  Prayers  for  every  Morning  and  Evening,  by  the  Religious 
Tract  Society.    Some  prayers  are  added  at  the  end  of  this  Treatise. 


124  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  ^ 

Perhaps  in  this  very  thing-,  God  is  bringing-  the  touch- 
stone to  your  character :  lie  hero  tries  you  whether  you 
will  indeed  confess  Christ  before  men.  Remember,  then, 
"  if  we  deny  him,  he  will  also  deny  us  ;  if  we  confess  him 
before  men,  he  will  also  confess  us  before  his  Father  and 
the  holy  angels  in  heaven."  •  Some  have  regular  family 
worship  in  general,  but  when  they  have  any  friend  in  the 
house,  unaccustomed  to  this  service,  they  are  induced  by 
the  fear  of  man,  or  perhaps  the  pretence  of  not  giving  of- 
fence, to  neglect  it.  This  conduct  is  utterly  unworthy  of 
a  true  Christian. 

Others  object,  /  have  not  time  for  the  duty ;  I  am  en- 
gaged in  business  from  morning  to  night.  Is  this  true? 
then  surely  you,  who  have  so  much  to  do,  above  all  men, 
ought  especially  to  seek  the  favor  and  help  of  God.  His 
blessing  "  maketh  rich,  and  he  addeth  no  sorrow  with  it :" 
but  without  it,  all  your  endeavors  and  labors  will  profit  you 
nothing ;  they  will  never  make  you  happy.  But  have  you 
never  any  leisure  for  amusement,  for  vanity,  trifling,  and 
folly  ]  Remembering  that  God  knows  how  you  employ  all 
your  time,  will  you  venture  to  say,  that  you  cannot  collect 
your  family  together  for  a  few  minutes  in  the  morning  and 
in  the  evening  ?  Have  you  time  to  provide  food  for  their 
perishing  bodies,  which  last  but  a  few  days,  but  no  time  to 
dispense  the  bread  of  life  to  their  never-dying  souls?  The 
want  of  time  proceeds  in  most  cases  from  indisposition  to 
the  duty  ;  or,  at  best,  from  want  of  due  management.  If 
you  appoint  those  stated  and  fixed  times  which  shall  be 
found  most  convenient,  and  keep  to  them  regularly,  you 
will  find  that  it  will  be  as  as  easy  to  collect  your  family  to- 
gether, and  as  indispensable  to  have  regular  family  prayer, 
as  it  is  to  have  your  daily  meals. 

Some  bring  an  objection  of  another  kind — I  should  meet 
with  opposition  from  some  in  the  family.  Are  you  only 
an  inferior  member  of  the  family  ]  you  should  still,  at  proper 
times,  use  what  influence  you  have  to  obtain  so  great  a 
blessing  ;*  and  if  you  cannot  succeed  in  your  attempts,  God 

*  I  know  an  instance  of  a  child  in  a  family,  where  this  duty  was 
neglected,  upon  her  return  from  a  visit  in  another,  where  it  was 
daily  performed,  being  the  instrument  of  effecting  a  reform  in  this 
particular,  by  only  asking  her  parents,  "Why  can  we  not  have  daily 
family  prayer  ?"  The  remonstrance  of  tiie  chdd,  through  God's  bles»» 
ing,  was  effectual. 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  125 

will  not  lay  the  sin  of  neglecting  family  worship  to  your 
charge.  But  whatever  weight  this  objection  may  have 
with  those  in  inferior  stations  in  the  family,  sure  I  am  that 
this  objection  should  have  no  weight  with  the  master,  or 
the  head  of  the  family.  Do  not  have  thus  plainly  to  con- 
fess that  you  fear  man  rather  than  God.  Remember,  that 
you  are  responsible  for  the  duties  of  that  station  in  which 
you  are  placed.  Be  firm,  and  of  good  courage,  in  this  mat- 
ter ;  and,  whatever  you  may  give  up  of  your  own  ease  and 
inclination  in  worldly  things,  for  the  sake  of  quietness  and 
rest,  give  nothing  up,  where  it  concerns  your  duty,  the 
good  of  immortal  souls,  and  the  glory  of  God,  to  be  firm  and 
resolute.     See  Ps.  ci. 

But  you  say,  I  do  pray  with  my  family  on  a  Sunday.  It 
is  certainly  better  thus  to  collect  your  family  together  on 
the  Sabbath,  than  not  at  all ;  but  you  are  required  to  in- 
struct your  family,  not  merely  on  Sunday,  "  but  when  you 
lie  down,  and  when  you  rise  up."*  Your  limited  perform- 
ance of  the  duty  shows  that  you  do  not  really  love  and 
enjoy  it;  if  you  did,  you  would  be  more  frequent  in  practis- 
ing it.  And  I  may  appeal  to  you  whether  you  and  your 
family  do  not  generally  find  it  a  weariness,  (Mai.  i.  13,) 
after  the  duties  of  the  Sabbath,  to  be  engaged  in  a  service 
which  daily  custom  and  habit  have  not  yet  made  necessary 
and  delightful. 

But  is  not  the  real,  though  not  the  avowed  objection,  this, 
I  am  afraid  of  too  great  a  restraint  on  myself?  I  am 
afraid  that  more  will  be  expected  from  me ;  that  I  must  be 
more  consistent  in  my  character,  and  more  circumspect  in 
my  conduct.  Look  well  into  your  hearts  if  this  be  not  the 
real  difficulty ;  and  if  it  be,  only  consider  what  a  sad  mark 
it  is  of  a  man's  spiritual  condition,  when  he  is  afraid  of  a 
restraint  on  his  sins.     Job  xxi.  14,  15. 

Howe  observes,  "  We  should  look  on  family  religion,  not 
merely  under  the  notion  of  a  duty,  and  as  imposed  ;  but  as 
a.  privilege,  and  a  singular  vouchsafement  of  grace  tliat 
there  may  be  such  a  thing." 

"  It  hath  been  accounted  so  even  in  the  very  Pagan  world. 
A  divine  presence,  to  have  a  Numen  at  hand  and  ready , 
how  great  a  privilege  hath  it  been  reckoned  !  In  the  dark 
and  dismal  days  of  Popery,  when  that  hath  been  regnant, 

*  Dent.  vi.  7. 

L2 


126  A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.    » 

what  a  terrible  thin^r  it  has  been  counted  to  excommunicate 
a  nation,  to  put  it  under  an  interdict !  Now  let  us  consider 
this  matter  so.  What  if,  instead  of  being  bidden  to  pray 
in  our  families,  we  should  be  forbidden  to  pray  in  them  1 
Make  but  that  fearful  supposition.  Suppose  there  should 
be  a  special  interdict  on  your  house,  and  that  by  some  par- 
ticular signification  of  the  mind  of  God  from  heaven  it 
should  be  said,  '  I  will  have  no  worship  of  God  out  of  this 
house  !  from  your  house  I  will  accept  no  sacrifice !  I  will 
hear  no  prayer  !'  What  a  terrible  doom  were  this  !  What 
a  dark  and  horrid  cloud  would  be  drawn  over  that  habita- 
tion, if  it  should  be  said,  '  Here  shall  be  no  prayers,  here 
shall  be  no  mention  of  tlie  name  of  God  !'  So  that  as  in 
a  like  case  represented  to  us  in  reference  to  the  people  of 
the  Jews — the  poor  forlorn  members  of  that  family  should 
say,  '  We  may  not  make  mention  of  the  name  of  the  Lord,'* 
what  a  dismal  thing-  were  this  !"t 

Trusting,  then,  that  the  reader  is  now  satisfied  as  to  the 
duty  and  privilege  of  daily  family  prayer,  and  only  wishes 
to  know  how  he  may  best  practise  it ;  we  will  make  some 
remarks  with  reference  to  the  due  performance  cf  family 
worship. 

Every  head  of  a  family  should  consider  himself  as  the 
minister  or  priest  of  his  own  family.  It  is,  if  we  may  use 
the  expression,  his  parish,  and  he  should  consider  that  he 
is  as  responsible  to  God  for  the  welfare  of  the  souls  thus 
committed  to  him,  as  the  minister  is  on  a  larger  scale. 
The  sin  of  omission  lies  at  his  door,  if  it  be  neglected. 
"  Masters,  give  unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and 
equal,  knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  Master  in  heaven," 
may  be  applied  to  their  spiritual  as  well  as  their  temporal 
wants.  Let  the  head  of  the  family,  then,  consider  it  his 
duty  and  his  privilege  to  conduct  family  worship. 

A  preparation  of  mind  for  this  duty,  by  taking  a  few  mo- 
ments of  retirement  for  self-recollection  and  prayer,  has 
been  fJjund  by  many  to  be  highly  advantageous. 

Where  circumstances  will  admit  of  it,  read  the  Scrip- 

*  Amos  vi.  10. 

t  Howe's  Works,  vol.  v.  p.  413.  The  whole  Tract,  entitled  "The 
Obligations  to  Family  Roligion  and  Worship,"  is  well  worthy  of  a 
serious  and  attentive  perusal. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  127 

tures,  and  sing  a  Psalm  or  Hymn,  as  well  as  pray  with  your 
family. 

Read  the  Scriptures :  a  portion  from  one  Testament  in 
the  morning,  and  from  the  other  in  the  evening.  Both  the 
Old  and  the  New  Testament  are  thus  constantly  brought 
before  your  families.  If  you  pursue  a  regular  course,  go- 
ing through  one  book  before  you  begin  another,  your  les- 
son will  always  be  found  for  you.  Those  who  have  the 
talent  of  explaining  the  Scriptures  in  an  impressive  and 
lively  way  to  their  families,  (and  this  talent  will  increase 
as  it  is  used)  will  be  able  to  give  much  additional  interest 
by  a  few  short  observations  on  what  has  been  read.  Those 
who  have  not  this  talent,  may  find  excellent  helps  for  this 
purpose ;  as  the  Practical  Observations  in  Scott's  Bible,  in 
Doddridge's  Exposition  of  the  New  Testament,  or  selec- 
tions from  Matthew  Henry.  Only  in  all  take  care  to  be 
brief,  practical,  familiar,  and  serious.  Any  thing  long,  or 
critical,  is  out  of  place,  and  tedious.  Let  each  member  of 
the  family  bring  a  Bible.  Some  have  found  that  it  helps 
to  keep  alive  their  attention,  to  refer  them  occasionally  to 
parallel  passages,  one  of  the  family  reading  the  passage.* 
The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  daily  in  family  worship,  is 
a  plain  and  positive  duty.  How  can  you  otherwise  fulfil 
the  express  directions  of  the  Scriptures  themselves  ]  Deut. 
vi.  7. 

Occasionally  sing  a  Psalm  or  Hymn.  When  you  have 
time,  and  your  family  can  join  toirether  in  singing,  this  adds 
much  to  the  cheerfulness  of  family  devotion.  "  Psalmody," 
says  Dr.  Hammond,  "  made  up  a  very  great  part  of  the 
devotions  of  the  primitive  Christians,  both  in  the  public  as- 
sembly, and  more  privately  in  the  family,  and  in  their  re- 
tirements in  the  closet."  When  our  Lord  had  instructed 
his  family,  the  twelve  Apostles,  he  sung  an  hymn  with 
them,  (Matt.  xxvi.  30,)  and  then  prayed  with  them.     John 

*  Some  have  found  it  an  excellent  practice,  and  it  is  one  which 
is  recommended  to  pious  masters  and  mistresses,  to  take  some  time 
in  the  course  of  the  Sabbath,  or  any  other  fixed  time  that  may  be 
more  convenient,  to  converse  apart  with  each  member  of  the  family 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  giving  them  suitable  advice.  This  has 
been  attended  with  the  happiest  effects.  It  discovers  the  true  state 
of  your  family — enables  you  better  to  pray  for  them,  and  with  them 
— and  gives  you  many  happy  opportunities  of  arousing  the  careless, 
strengthening  the  weak,  encouraging  the  desponding,  and  confirm- 
ing the  strong. 


128  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

xvii.  This  great  example  may  encourage  us  to  "  go  and  do 
likewise."  St.  Paul  says,  "Be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  speak- 
ing to  yourselves  in  Psalms  and  Hymns,  and  spiritual 
songs :  singing  and  making  melody  in  your  heart  to  the 
Lord."*  Anticipate  thus,  on  earth,  the  songs  of  the  blessed 
above.  Learn  here  below  the  employments  of  heaven,  and 
fulfil  the  promise,  "  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return 
and  come  to  Zion,  with  songs,  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their 
head."f 

Conclude  with  Prayer.  To  some,  God  has  evidently 
given  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication,  so  that  they  can, 
after  some  practice  and  experience,  pour  out  with  ease  and 
fluency  the  continued  and  refreshing  stream  of  holy  feel- 
ings and  ardent  devotion.  This  gift  is  bestowed  on  them 
for  the  benefit  of  others,  and  they  ought  freely  to  use  it.  It 
is  also  a  gift  which  may  be  more  generally  attained  than  ia 
commonly  supposed.  Many  pious  poor,  without  human 
learning,  possess  it  in  a  great  degree.  Let  others  use  good 
forms.  Happy  are  the  families  that  have  devout  and  heav- 
enly-minded masters  or  parents,  who  pray  for  them  in  pri- 
vate, and  edify  them  by  praying  with  them  ! 

The  Lord's  prayer  seems  particularly  appropriate  as  a 
family  prayer ;  and  while  comprehending  the  case  and  cir- 
cumstances of  the  Universal  Church,  it  still  has  a  reference 
to  that  church  under  the  idea  of  a  family,  "  a  whole  family," 
one  in  heart  and  mind,  however  separated  or  dispersed  in 
person. 

After  those  directions  which  have  been  given  respecting" 
private,  the  less  need  be  said  on  family  prayer. 

Respecting  the  proper  subjects  to  be  mentioned,  there 
are  some  things  which  may,  with  great  propriety  and  in- 
terest, be  brought  before  the  family  altar. 

Any  particular  circumstances  which  have  occurred  should 
be  mentioned.  Is  any  member  of  the  family  unwell  ?  the 
prayer  of  faith  may  save  the  sick.  Is  any  afflicted  ]  "  Call 
upon  God  in  the  time  of  trouble,  and  he  will  deliver  him." 
Has  any  member  left  your  family  for  a  season]  by  praying 
for  him,  "  though  absent  hi  body,"  you  will  be  "  present  in 
spirit,  serving  the  Lord."  Are  any  changes  about  to  take 
place,  or  any  scheme  to  be  effected,  in  which  the  family 
are  interested — any  one  about  to  join  or  to  leave  the  house- 

*  Eph.  V.  19 ;  see  also  Col.  iii.  IG.  t  Isa.  xxxv.  10. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  129 

hold  ?  are  any  special  means  of  grace,  confirmation,  bap- 
tism, or  the  Lord's  Supper  before  you  1  these  things  may 
properly  be  mentioned,  and  their  due  improvement  be  re 
quested  of  God  in  family  prayer. 

Much  of  the  substance  of  the  Scriptures  which  you  have 
read,  may  generally  be  advantageously  turned  into  prayer. 
This,  while  it  gains  the  blessing  and  averts  the  evil  about 
which  you  pray,  will  also  impress  the  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture more  deeply  in  the  mind  and  on  the  heart,  and  will 
prevent  sameness  and  repetition  of  expression. 

These  local  circumstances  induce  the  writer  to  think 
that  extempore  prayer  is  often  more  suitable  and  affecting 
for  a  family,  than  a  form  of  prayer.*  Nor  is  the  objection 
that  those  who  pray  with  you  do  not  know  what  is  coming, 
and  therefore  cannot  join  you,  a  really  solid  one.  Experi- 
ence confirms  the  remark  of  Bishop  Wilkins,  "  that  as  a 
man  may  in  his  judgment  assent  unto  any  divine  truth  de- 
livered in  a  sermon  which  he  never  heard  before,  so  may 
he  join  in  his  affections  unto  any  holy  desire  which  he 
never  before  heard." 

But  to  sum  up  the  heads  of  family  prayer  in  a  few  words, 
attend  to  these  four  things. 

Family  sins.  "  Confess  your  faults  one  to  another,  and 
pray  one  for  another."!  "  Humble  yourselves  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  lift  you  up."|  This  habitual,  peri- 
odical, and  mutual  confession,  morning  and  evening,  of 
your  mutual  infirmities,  your  pride,  your  selfishness,  your 
impatience,  and  your  sinfulness,  will  have  a  great  tendency 
also  to  soften  down  what  is  harsh  and  forbidding,  and  to 
unite  you  together. 

Family  wants,  whether  spiritual  or  temporal.  Here  is  a 
large  scope  for  daily  prayer.  And  here  you  may  pray  that 
all  may  fiilfil  their  relative  duties,  whether  it  be  as  father 
and  mother,  husband  and  wife,  master  and  mistress,  in- 
mate, servant  and  child ;  and  that  all  may  apply  themselves 
faithfully,  constantly,  and  diligently,  in   their   respective 

*  The  writer  is  far  from  desiring  to  press  this  on  all.  He  knows 
several  good  and  judicious  men  who  use  forms.  It  is  utterly  wrong 
in  any  to  think  worse  of  those  who  do  so,  and  to  consider  them  on 
that  account  as  deficient  in  ihe  gift  of  prayer.     Do  not  such  rather 

i)rove  their  own  deficiency?  for  the  true  gift  of  prayei  will  be  fol- 
owed  by  charity,  tenderness,  and  humility. 
t  James  v.  16.  J  James  iv.  10. 


130  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

situations,  to  the  work  which  God  has  g-iven  them  to  do; 
that  they  may  exhibit  the  truth  of  David's  saying-,  "Be- 
hold, how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell 
together  in  unity." 

Family  friends.  The  parents,  brothers,  sisters,  rela- 
tives, and  friends,  of  those  assembled  together,  and  the 
minister  by  whom  they  are  instructed,  should  not  be  for- 
gotten. Your  immediate  neighborhood,  the  town  in  which 
you  dwell,  the  nation  to  which  you  belong,  all  in  authority, 
and  especially  the  cause  and  Church  of  Christ  throughout 
the  world,  the  Jews  and  the  benighted  Gentiles,  should  all 
have  place  in  your  prayers. 

Family  mercies.  In  the  morning,  after  having  been 
kept  in  safety  throughout  the  defenceless  hours  of  night, 
free  from  fire,  accidents,  or  disturbance ;  in  the  evening, 
when  the  wants  of  the  family  for  the  day  have  all  been 
supplied,  it  is  surely  right,  and  almost  natural  for  you  to 
unite  in  acknowledging  God's  mercies.  That  you  have 
"bread  enough  and  to  spare:"  that  you  have  light,  life, 
liberty,  health,  and  strength,  call  for  your  united  praise. 
But  above  all,  "  the  common  salvation,"*  offered  to  you  all ; 
"the  common  faith, "f  which  you  all  profess  to  receive  ; 
the  union  in  Jesus  Christ — "  One  body  and  one  spirit,  even 
as  ye  are  called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling ;  one  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is 
above  all,  and  throucrh  all,  and  in  you  all  :'*f  all  these  things 
bestowed  on  Christians,  through  the  inestimable  love  of 
God  in  Christ  Jesus,  require  you  to  offer  united  sacrifices 
of  thanksgiving. 

Grace  before  and  after  meals  is  another  part  of  family 
prayer,  which  no  Christian  master  can  neglect.  The  Apos- 
tle, after  reproving  those  who  commanded  to  abstain  from 
meats,  goes  on  to  assert,  "  Which  God  hath  created  to  be 
received  with  thanksgiving,  of  them  which  believe  and 
know  the  truth.  For  every  creature  of  God  is  good,  and 
nothing  to  be  refused,  if  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving: 
for  it  is  sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and  prayer. "§  In 
discharging  this  part  of  family  worship,  take  heed  of  a  few 
mere  formal  words.  Be  serious  and  devout  in  every  ap- 
proach to  the  great  God. 

*  Jude  3.  t  Titus  i.  4.  %  Eph.  iv.  4.  6 

%  1  Tim.  iv.  3, 4,  5. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  131 

The  manner  of  conducting  family  worship  is  of  much 
importance.  Be  not  on  the  one  side  needlessly  tender  about 
your  own  reputation  in  mere  outward  things,  nor  on  the 
other  careless  and  remiss.  Let  us  have  a  greater  awe  of 
God's  majesty  than  of  man's  presence.  We  will  now  no- 
tice some  things  to  be  avoided. 

Some,  by  a  voice  too  loud,  or  too  low,  or  from  using  a 
particular  whine  or  tone — or  by  a  repulsive  manner — by 
aiming  at  fine  expressions,  or  by  vulgar  and  coarse  ones, 
or  by  excessive  length,  fatigue  and  perhaps  disgust  those 
whom  they  desire  to  edify.  Let  all  be  natural  and  simple, 
short  and  devout,  and  your  voice  such  as  you  use  in  con- 
versing with  your  friends  on  serious  subjects.  In  the  mul- 
tiplied engagements  of  large  towns,  long  prayers  are  not 
suited  to  the  situations  of  most  families  ;  yet  do  not  abridge 
the  duty  so  as  to  make  it  a  mere  form,  and  as  if  you  were 
glad  to  hurry  through  it.  Seek,  in  short,  to  have  your  wor- 
ship such  that  a  piously-disposed  family  may  rejoice  when 
the  time  of  prayer  is  come :  and  amid  the  cares,  distrac- 
tions and  sorrows  of  life,  may  count  it  a  relief  and  a  privi- 
lege. 

We  have  hitherto  considered  the  duty  of  the  Head  of 
the  Family.  The  duties  of  those  who  join  in  family  wor-^ 
ship,  are,  duly  to  prize  the  privilege,  and  to  beware  of  a 
wandering,  cold,  and  careless  spirit,  which  will  destroy  all 
your  benefit  and  comfort  in  it,  whoever  teaches,  whoever 
prays.  It  is  the  joining  of  every  heart  in  the  requests  of- 
fered up,  which  gives  to  family  prayer  its  greatest  efficacy. 
You  should  agree  to  ask ;  your  spirit  should  join  the  spirit 
of  him  who  prays ;  let  there  be  a  secret  "  Amen"  in  your 
hearts  to  every  petition,*  and  thus  you  will  obtain  the 
promised  blessing.  And  do  not  think  it  sufficient  for  you 
to  have  joined  in  family  worship,  and  that  you  may  then 
neglect  secret  prayer.  Never  forget  to  pray  in  secret  also 

What  a  lovely  sight  it  is  to  see  a  whole  family  thus 
uniting  together  morning  and  evening,  preparing  and  being 
made  meet,  day  by  day,  for  "  the  inheritance  of  the  samts 
in  light ;"  obtaining  on  earth  the  humble,  dependent,  thank- 
ful, holy,  and  heavenly  state  of  mind,  which  fits  them  for 
joining  the  family  of  their  Lord  in  heaven !  Whatever 
Btorms  rage  without,  such  a  family,  obeying  the  direction, 

*  1  Cor.  xiv.  16. 


132  A    TREATISE    ON    PR  AVER. 

"  Con.e,  my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers,  and  shut 
thy  doors  about  thee ;  hide  thyself  as  it  were  for  a  little 
moment,  till  the  indignation  be  overpast,"*  are  safe.  They 
are  able  to  say,  "  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength."! 

May  what  has  been  said  induce  those  who  have  hitherto 
lived  in  the  neglect  of  this  duty,  to  take  up  at  once  David's 
firm  resolution,  "  Surely  I  will  not  go  up  into  the  taber- 
nacle of  my  house,  nor  go  up  into  my  bed ;  I  will  not  give 
sleep  to  mine  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  mine  eyelids,  until  I 
find  out  a  place  for  the  Lord,  an  habitation  for  the  mighty 
God  of  Jacob."!  Let  me  beseech  you — lose  no  time — not  a 
single  day.  Difficulties  may  be  multiplied ;  but  only  set 
about  it  in  faith  and  prayer,  wisely  and  vigorously,  and 
they  will  all  vanish.  Say  firmly,  as  Jacob  did  to  his  household, 
and  to  all  that  were  with  him,  "  Put  away  the  strange  gods 
that  are  among  you,  and  be  clean,  and  change  your  gar- 
ments, and  let  us  arise  and  go  up  to  Bethel,  and  I  will  make 
there  an  altar  unto  God."  J 

And  may  those  who  have  attended  to  this  duty,  find  the 
hints  that  have  been  given,  an  additional  help  to  the  per- 
formance of  it ;  and  also  feel  pledged,  by  their  prayers  and 
instructions,  to  bring  into  the  family  in  the  day  the  charac- 
t-.:r  which  they  have  manifested,  and  the  graces  which  they 
requested  in  their  united  devotions. 

But  let  them  not  think,  as  some  have  been  ready  to  think, 
that  a  discharge  of  this  duty  will  absolve  them  from  the 
constant  practice  of  daily  morning  and  evening  devotions 
in  secret.  He  who  prays  only  before  others,  has  much  rea- 
son to  suspect  that  he  prays  to  be  seen  of  men,  and  has  no 
real  love  to  God,  nor  true  knowledge  of  the  nature  of 
prayer. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

SOCIAL  PRAYER. 

The  term  "  social"  may  be  applied  to  all  kinds  of  prayer 
in  which  we  join  with  others,  but  it  is  here  restricted  to  the 
united  prayer  of  Christian  friends,  distinct  from  public  and 

*  Isa.  xxvi.  20.  t  Ps.  xlvi.  1.  t  Ps-  cxxxii.  3—5. 

$  Gen.  XXXV.  2. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  133 

family  worship.  It  would  be  well  if  Christians-were  more 
accustomed  than  they  are  to  sanctify  their  occasional  meet- 
ings by  prayer,  and  to  meet  also  for  the  purpose  of  uniting 
in  prayer  to  obtain  those  blessings  which  they  need.  The 
particular  promise  given  to  united  prayer  has  led  many  to 
practise  this  both  as  a  privilege  and  as  a  duty.  "  If  two  of 
you  should  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any  thing  that  they 
shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is 
in  heaven."* 

We  have  scriptural  examples  to  encourage  us  to  the  per- 
formance of  this.  When  Peter  was  in  prison,  "  prayer  waa 
made  without  ceasing  of  the  church  unto  God  for  him  ;"f 
and  when  he  came  to  the  house  of  Mary,  the  mother  of 
John,  he  found  there  "  many  that  were  gathered  together, 
praying."!  When  Paul  and  Silas  were  thrown  into  prison, 
they  comforted  each  other  by  social  prayer.  "  Paul  and  Si- 
las prayed  and  sang  praises  unto  God :  and  the  prisoners 
heard  them." 5  "  When  Moses'  hands  were  heavy,  Aaron 
and  Hur  stayed  up  his  hands,  the  one  on  the  one  side  and 
the  other  on  the  other  side,  and  his  hands  were  steady  until 
the  going  down  of  the  sun."  Bishop  Hall  remarks  on  this, 
"  Doubtless  Aaron  and  Hur  did  not  only  raise  their  hands 
but  their  minds  with  his ;  the  more  cords  the  easier  draught 
Aaron  was  brother  to  Moses.  There  cannot  be  a  more  bro- 
therly office  than  to  help  one  another  in  our  prayers,  and 
to  excite  our  mutual  devotions.  No  Christian  may  think  it 
enough  to  pray  alone :  he  is  no  true  Israelite  that  will  not 
be  ready  to  lift  up  the  weary  hand  of  God's  saints." il 

And  as  social  prayer  is  a  duty  binding  generally  on  all 
Christians,  so  there  is  a  special  reason  for  it  in  some  par- 
ticular relations.  Husband  and  wife  should  pray  together, 
with  and  for  each  other ;  the  Apostle  appears  to  suppose 
they  do  so,  when  he  adds,  as  a  reason  for  some  directions 
given  to  them,  that  our  prayers  be  not  hindered."ir 

There  are  some  things  which  seem  peculiarly  to  call  for 
social  prayer.  Let  me  especially  mention  the  state  of  the 
church  of  Christ  in  our  own  country,  and  throughout  the 
world,  as  calling  for  our  attention.  The  various  precepts 
and  examples  in  the  word  of  God  on  this  subject,  and  the 

*  Matt  iviii.  19.  t  Acts  xii.  5. 

t  Acts  xii.  12,  $  Acts  xvi.  25. 

U  See  Bishop  Hall's  Works.  S  1  Pet.  ill.  7. 

M 


134  A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER. 

present  remarkable  signs  of  the  times,  evidently  require 
the  Christian's  remembrance  of  this  in  all  his  social  pray- 
ers. David  gives  us  a  solemn  direction,  and  a  copy  of  his 
prayer  and  determination  on  this  subject  ;''■'  "  Pray  for  the 
peace  of  Jerusalem ;  they  shall  prosper  that  love  thee. 
Peace  be  within  thy  walls,  and  prosperity  within  thy  palaces. 
For  my  brethren  and  companions'  sake,  I  will  now  say. 
Peace  be  within  thee.  Because  of  the  house  of  the  Lord 
our  God,  T  will  seek  thy  good."  This  will  lead  to  prayers 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  borders  of  Sion,  by  the  conver- 
sion of  the  heathen,  Isa.  Ixii.  Nor  should  the  state  of  your 
own  nation  be  forgotten.  1  Tim.  ii.  1,  2. 

St.  Paul  hoped  for  deliverance  from  his  difficulties  by  the 
Corinthians,  "  helping  together  by  prayer"f  for  him,  and 
this  supposes  that  Christians  will  unite  in  prayer  for  their 
minister.  Remember  then  your  minister  in  your  social  meet- 
ings :  it  will  bring  a  blessing  on  him  and  yourselves  also. 
Why  should  not  those  members  of  a  family  who  are  under 
the  full  influence  of  real  religion  unite,  at  stated  periods,  in 
praying  for  those  of  their  relatives  that  are  careless  and 
regardless  of  its  holy  truths  1  There  are  various  other 
things  of  general  and  personal,  or  local  interest,  that  need 
not  be  here  specified,  which  aflx)rd  suitable  subjects  for  so- 
cial prayer. 

It  is  a  proof  of  the  low  state  of  religion  among  us,  that 
many,  and  those  even  real  Christians,  (for  of  them  only  I 
speak,)  can  meet  and  part  in  oiu-  day  without  praying  to- 
gether. Is  it  feared  that  this  might  be  counted  strange  and 
uncommon  1  this  is  only  a  weak  objection.  The  devoted 
Christian  is  an  uncommon  character,  and  must  expect  to 
be  often  reproached  for  unnecessary  strictness  and  precise- 
ness.  Have  you  reason  to  think  that  this  would  be  an  un- 
welcome service  ]  surely,  then,  you  should  not  voluntarily 
be  much  in  the  society  of  those  who  would  think  it  such.  Or 
may  not  another  reason  be,  that  the  conversation,  even 
among  those  who  have  professed  to  renounce  the  world  and 
Its  vanities,  is  often  so  trifling,  so  worldly  and  so  vain — sc 
mucn  about  man,  and  so  little  about  God,  and  Christ,  and 
his  word,  and  his  love,  that  your  souls  are  unprepared  and 
unfitted  for  communion  with  him "?! 

*  Ps.  cxxii.  6— 9.  t2Cor.  i.  11. 

1 1  cannot  here  but  subjoin  the  remark  which  a  valued  friend  made 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  135 

Walts  says,  "  If  we  pray  among  a  select  society  of  Chris- 
tians, we  draw  near  to  God  with  a  holy  boldness,  something' 
like  what  we  use  in  our  duties  of  secret  worship.  We  have 
reason  to  take  more  freedom  among  those  that  are  fellow- 
saints,  and  whose  hearts  have  felt  many  of  the  same  work- 
ings with  our  own.  Then,  when  our  faith  is  lively,  we  should 
give  thanks  to  God  for  our  election  in  Christ  Jesus ;  for  the 
atonement  and  righteousness  of  the  Son  of  God,  in  which 
we  humbly  hope  to  have  an  interest ;  for  the  enlightening 
and  sanctifying  work  of  his  own  Spirit  upon  our  hearts  ;  for 
our  expectations  of  eternal  glory :  and  by  expressing  the 
joys  of  our  faith  to  God,  we  may  often  be  made  a  means, 
through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  raise  the  faith  and 
joy  of  others." 

Were  your  social  meetings  thus  sanctified,  the  occasional 
intercourse  of  dear  friends  would  be  more  blessed  than  it  is. 
You  would  find  it  a  means  of  grace,  and  would  enjoy,  in  a 
much  higher  degree,  the  privilege  of  the  communion  of 
saints.  You  would  find  the  prayers  of  those  who  can  and  do 
pray  with  freedom  and  fervency,  a  great  help  to  your  own 
attainment  of  this  gift.  Those  who  have  the  holy  fire  may 
be  the  means  of  enkindling  the  sacred  flame  in  others.  You 
would  receive  a  greater  blessing  than  you  have  yet  done  in 
all  your  family  and  social  relations.  "  Persons  who  belong 
to  several  families  may,  and  ought  to  meet  on  these  occa- 
sions. The  consent  of  importunity  is  a  pleasing  instance  of 
brotherly  love." 

Those  who  join  in  Social  Prayer,  should  guard  against 
a  spirit  of  criticism  on  the  prayer  which  they  hear,  and  en- 

on  this  passage.  He  says,  "Conversation  amoftg  Christians  often 
takes  a  trifling  turn,  often  a  party  turn  in  politics,  and  often  one 
which  merely  concerns  the  circumstantials  of  things,  and  this  for 
the  evident  purpose  of  excluding  essentials.  Thus  the  manner  of  a 
preacher,  his  style,  his  appearance,  often  occupy  the  place  which  is 
due  to  his  matter.  Or,  if  the  matter  be  introduced,  it  is  not  for  the 
purpose  of  enjoying  its  excellence,  in  turnmg  it  to  the  exciting  of 
present  good,  but  rather  as  a  ground  of  critique  on  his  mode  of  treat- 
ment, affording  a  subject  of  ingenious  remark,  if  not  of  authoritative 
decision.  There  are  religious  Tattlers  and  Bus3'^-Bodies,  it  is  to  be 
feared,  as  well  as  those  of  the  world  ;  but  it  should  never  be  forgot- 
ten, that  a  religious  gossip  is  less  excusable  tlian  a  worldly  gossip. 
The  object  of  the  worldly  is  to  kill  lime  ;  and  ibr  this  purpose  char- 
acters are  sjwrted  with,  and  idle  tales  and  jokes  indulged  in.  It 
should  be  the  Christian's  object  to  redeem  the  time,  and  to  improve 
It  by  edifying  his  associates." 


136  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

tleavor  to  join  in  the  desire  intended,  even  when  they  think 
that  the  mode  of  expression  is  not  altogether  proper,  or 
suitable.  Watch  against  criticising  and  being  offended  with 
the  mere  words  and  manner  of  others.  Those,  indeed,  who 
do  pray,  should  take  care  to  avoid  occasions  of  offence,  by 
simplicity  and  propriety  in  their  mode  of  conducting  the 
prayer.  But  when  sinful  creatures  kneel  together  before 
their  Almighty  Creator,  the  solemnity  of  the  work  in  which 
they  are  engaged,  and  the  greatness  of  his  Majesty,  should 
prevent  a  rigid  observance  of  each  other.  "  Judge  not,  that 
ye  be  not  judged." 

In  this,  as  in  every  means  of  grace,  beware  of  any 
thing  like  ostentation,  display,  or  self-rightoousness.  En- 
deavor to  attain  Christian  simplicity,  "  and  the  meekness 
of  wisdom."* 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  GENERAL  HABIT  OF  PRAYER. 

Hitherto  we  have  dwelt  on  the  various  kinds  of  devo- 
tion, private,  public,  family,  and  social,  which  should  each 
come  in  their  course  at  stated  times;  but  the  believer's 
character,  "  I  give  myself  unto  prayer,"f  shows  that  he  is 
continually  m  the  spirit  of  prayer.  The  Scriptures  suppose 
that  this  is  the  habit  of  the  Christian  mind.  Hence  we  find 
directions  of  this  kind  :  "  Praying  always,  with  all  prayer 
and  supplication  in  the  spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with 
all  perseverance."!  "Pray  without  ceasing."^  "Continuing 
instant  in  prayer."  |1 

These  directions  are  in  some  measure  fulfilled,  by  a  con- 
stant attention  to  those  kinds  of  prayer  we  have  before 
mentioned  ;  but  they  may  have  a  yet  more  complete  fulfil- 
ment, in  the  habitual  disposition  of  the  Chistian's  mind,  his 
readiness  at  all  times  for  prayer,  and  the  exercise  of  this 
disposition  in  continual  aspirations  of  soul,  and  desires  ex- 
pressed unto  God  in  the  midst  of  his  other  duties.     These 

*  James  iii.  13.  t  Ps.  cix.  4.  t  Eph.  vi.  18. 

$  1  Thes.  v.  17.  II  Rom.  xii.  12. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  137 

aspirations  are  both  a  great  sign  and  means  of  our  he'mg 
spiritually  minded. 

Nor  does  this  in  any  way  hinder,  but  rather  help  attention 
to  our  various  duties.  A  laborer's  love  to  his  family  will 
otlen  brinof  it  to  his  mind  during  his  work,  but  will  only 
incline  him  to  labor  more  constantly  and  cheerfully  ; 
and  a  Christian's  love  to  his  Savior  will  have  tlie  same 
eltect.  The  breathing-  of  the  lungs,  and  the  beating  of 
the  pulse,  hinder  not  our  being  engaged  in  other  work : 
and  the  lifting  up  of  holy  desires  unto  God,  will  only  quick- 
en us,  and  animate  us  in  the  performance  of  the  daily  labors 
of  our  life. 

The  expression  of  this  state  of  mind  has  been  sometimes 
called  ejaculatory  prayer ;  when  there  is  a  habit  of  prayer, 
there  will  frequently  be  short,  earnest  petitions  darted  up, 
on  the  moment,  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

Such  an  habitually  devout  disposition  of  mind,  will  make 
every  action  of  your  life  holy.  You  will  learn  to  do  nothing 
without  connecting  it  by  prayer  with  the  presence  and  glory 
of  God.  You  will  see  nothing,  and  hear  nothing,  without 
its  raising  your  heart  to  him.  What  a  spiritual  life  may  the 
Christian,  improving  every  thing  by  prayer,  lead !  This  will 
consecrate  every  field,  every  wood,  and  every  dwelling- 
place.  It  will  turn  an  ordinary  walk  into  a  morning  or 
evening  sacrifice.  Making  this  heavenly  use  of  earthly 
things,  you  will  rapidly  advance  in  conformity  to  the  divine 
image,  you  will  be  strong  in  overcoming  sin,  and  you  will 
carry  on  schemes  of  good  with  a  power  which  nothing  can 
resist.  In  a  moment  you  thus  bring  God,  and  his  presence, 
and  blessing,  into  the  midst  of  all  your  concerns,  and  bring 
peace,  love,  and  tranquillity  amidst  all  the  cares  and  tumults 
of  life,  into  your  own  heart. 

"  How  highly,"  says  Cooke,  "  would  a  courtier  prize  a 
privy  key  of  admittance  to  his  sovereign  at  all  times !  This 
key  we  possess  in  ejaculatory  prayer.  It  is  a  golden  chain 
of  union  between  earth  and  heaven." 

This  general  spirit  of  devotion,  prevailing  in  the  heart  at 
all  times,  is  of  such  importance,  that  the  chief  number  of 
exa7r.pl.es  of  prayer  which  we  find  in  the  Holy  Scriptures 
are  of  this  kind.  Were  all  these  examples  to  be  enumer- 
ated, it  would  be  seen,  that  there  is  no  situation,  nor  cir- 
cumstance, in  which  we  may  be  placed,  where  such  a  spirit 
will  not  be  suitable,  and  in  which  the  blessing  of  God  may 
M2 


138  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

not  in  this  way  be  sought  and  obtained.  It  may  be  right  to 
bring  a  few  specimens  from  different  parts  of  the  sacred 
volume. 

When  the  Patriarch  Jacob,  after  much  persuasion,  at 
length  permits  his  sons  to  take  their  youngest  brother  Ben- 
jamin, his  heart  sends  up  this  short  but  earnest  petition ; 
"  God  Almighty  give  you  mercy  before  the  man."*  When 
Joseph  sees  his  brother  Benjamin,  he  suddenly  prays,  "  God 
be  gracious  unto  thee,  my  son."f 

W/ien  the  Egyptians  were  behind  the  Israelites,  and  the 
Red  Sea  before  them,  and  the  mountains  hemmed  them  in, 
and  the  people  were  repining  and  murmuring,  in  that  great 
difficulty,  the  heart  of  Moses  was  with  his  God  ;  and  though 
we  read  of  no  outward  prayer,  yet  God  says  to  him, 
*'  Wherefore  cryest  thou  unto  me  1  speak  unto  the  children 
of  Israel  that  they  go  forward."| 

In  a  similar  great  extremity,  when  the  people  talked  of 
stoning  David,  he  "  encouraged  himself  in  the  Lord  his 
God."§  And  when,  flying  from  his  rebellious  son  Absa- 
lom, he  was  going  up  Mount  Olivet,  one  told  him  that 
Ahithophel,  his  counsellor,  was  among  the  conspirators, 
David  prayed,  on  the  moment,  as  he  was  going  up  the  hill, 
"  O  Lord,  I  pray  thee,  turn  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel  into 
foolishness."  II 

Nehemiali  is  an  eminent  example  of  the  same  spirit  of 
prayer.  You  may  observe  it  throughout  his  whole  history. 
The  following  is  an  example.  Being  sorrowful  in  the 
presence  of  the  king,  and  having  stated  the  reason,  the  his- 
tory goes  on,  "  The  King  said  unto  me.  For  what  dost  thou 
make  request  1  So  I  prayed  to  the  God  of  heaven,  and  I 
said  unto  the  king.  Send  me  unto  Judah."ir  He  doubtless 
means  that  he  lifted  up  his  heart  to  God,  before  he  asked 
the  king.  You  may  see  in  various  places  how  he  thus 
brought  all  his  actions  in  prayer  befDre  God,  and  entreated 
that  he  would  remember  him  for  them. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  left  an  example  for  us  to 
follow,  frequently  thus  addressed  his  Father.  In  the  midst 
of  the  people,  on  one  occasion,  he  said,  "  Father,  save  me 
from  this  hour ;  but  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world. 
Father,  glorify  thy  name."**     Again,  on  the  cross  he  says, 

*  Gen.  xliii.  14.  t  Gen.  xliii.  29.  t  Exod.  iv.  15. 

$  1  Sam.  XXX.  6.  ||  2  Sam.  xv.  31.  TNeh.  ii.4. 

•*Johnxii.27. 


A    TREATISE  ON    PRAYER.  139 

**  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me."*  And  he 
prayed  there,  not  only  for  himself,  but  in  the  midst  of  his 
sufferings,  beholding-  with  pity  his  savag-e  murderers,  the 
mockinof  priests,  and  deriding  people,  his  compassionate 
heart  breathes  out  itself  in  the  short  and  fervent  prayer, 
*'  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."f 
O  love,  till  then  unknown !  how  should  such  an  example 
teach  us  when  reviled  not  to  revile  again,  but  rather  to 
"  pray  for  them  that  dcspitefully  use"  us ! 

The  gracious  answers  vouchsafed  to  these  prayers 
should  encourage  us  to  imitate  the  examples  thus  brought 
before  us.  Let  us,  then,  fulfil  our  Lord's  direction,  "  Pray- 
ing always,  that  we  may  be  accounted  worthy  to  escape  all 
these  things,  and  to  stand  before  the  Son  of  Man.^':(: 
'  We  do  not  sufficiently  attend  to  the  growth  of  a  devout 
spirit  We  are  too  much  content  with  former  attainments, 
and  often  even  fall  short  of  them.  But  let  us  labor  not  only 
to  keep  our  ground,  but  to  make  daily  progress.  The  Chris- 
tian's devotion  sliould  be  like  the  flowing  tide,  which 
gradually  gaining  point  after  point,  the  retiring  wgves 
again  and  again  returning,  filling  up  ail  vacancies,  advan- 
cing and  still  advancing,  at  length  replenishes,  in  regular 
progress,  the  whole  space.  Let  the  spirit  of  devotion  ad- 
vance till  it  fill  our  whole  souls. 

Indeed,  the  truly-advanced  Christian  is  knovm  by  this 
mark,  as  much  as  by  any  other.  The  man  after  God's  own 
heart,  is  the  man  of  devotion ;  one  who  is  always  in  prayer; 
who  says  in  the  morning,  **  when  I  awake  I  am  still  with 
thee ;"  and  in  the  evening,  "  I  will  both  lay  me  down  in 
peace  and  take  ray  rest,  for  thou,  LoVd,  only  makest  me  to 
dwell  in  safety."^  In  the  midst  of  his  business  he  is  "  fer- 
vent in  spirit  serving  the  Lord."]]  He  can  say,  **  On  thee 
do  I  wait  all  the  day  ."IT  "  He,"  says  Law,  "  is  the  devout 
man,  who  considers  God  in  every  thing,  who  serves  God 
in  every  thing,  who  makes  all  the  parts  of  his  common  life 
parts  of  piety,  by  doing  every  thing  in  the  name  of  God, 
and  under  such  rules  as  are  conformable  to  his  glory." 

Men  of  this  world,  the  covetous  and  the  impure,  the  li- 
centious and  the  gay,  even  when  outwardly  engaged  in 
other  things,  have  their  minds  full  of  their  particular  sins. 

*  Matt,  xxvii.  46.  t  Luke  xxiii.  34.  X  Luke  xxi  36. 

$  Ps.  iv.  a  II  Rom.  xii.  11.  ^  Pa-  ixv.  5. 


140  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

Let  the  Christian's  heart  then  be  filled  with  that  great 
work  in  which  he  is  engaged.  As  they  pollute  all  theii 
sacred  duties  by  w^orldly  thoughts,  so  let  him  consecrate  aB 
his  common  actions,  by  the  constaiit  and  heavenly  breath- 
ings of  his  soul  unto  God. 

But  how  often  is  nature  in  the  believer  stronger  than 
grace  !  Do  not  Christians  sometimes  pass  a  whole  day  with 
hardly  a  single  devout  aspiration  1 

Let  me  mention  particular  seasons  which  seem  pecu 
liarly  to  call  for  the  exercise  of  this  habit  of  prayer.  What 
Christian  can  pass  along  the  streets  of  a  great  city,  and  see 
vanity  and  sin  everywhere  manifested,  and  hear,  almost 
on  every  side,  oaths  and  curses,  without  praying  for  those 
whom  he  thus  sees  sunk  in  sin !  What  miserable  objects 
continually  pain  his  heart !  And  though  in  many  cases 
his  judgment  may  forbid  him  to  give  any  thing  to  those 
who  would  only  squander  his  bounty  away,  his  piety  will 
yet  incline  him  in  secret  to  pray  for  them,  while  thus 
obliged  to  withhold  his  alms.  It  was  an  excellent  prac- 
tice of  a  pious  minister,  never  to  hear  an  oath  from  any  one, 
without  prayiug  to  God  for  the  offending  individual ;  and, 
if  compelled  by  his  judgment  not  to  relieve  a  beggar  in  the 
street,  still  to  lift  up  his  heart  in  secret  prayer  for  a  bless- 
ing on  his  soul. 

In  conversing  with  others  on  religious  subjects,  in  going 
to  the  poor  and  afflicted,  in  waiting  for  others,  in  going 
from  one  place  to  another,  in  visiting  your  own  friends,  in 
coming  to  the  house  of 'God,  in  hearing  his  word,  in  these, 
and  the  various  other  circumstances  of  our  lives,  the  heart 
of  the  devout  Christian  will  be  sending  upwards  niany  a 
secret  petition ;  he  will  be  silently  wrestling  with  God,  and 
gaining  that  divine  blessing  on  all  in  which  he  is  engaged, 
which  others  lose  by  carelessness  and  indifference. 

This  is  the  old  religion ;  this  is  "  the  good  way ;"  these 
are  "  the  old  paths."*  Thus  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham,  and 
David  walked  with  God ;  and  those  who  "  walk"  thus  now, 
"  find  rest  to  their  souls."  In  inviting  the  reader  to  this 
constant  intercourse  with  God,  we  are  inviting  him  to 
the  highest  privilege — friendship  with  his  Creator;  and  to 
his  richest  enjoyment — delighting  himself  in  communion 
with  his  Lord. 

♦  Jer.  vi.  16. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  141 

Do  you  ask  how  you  are  to  obtain,  and  how  you  are  to 
keep  alive  this  spirit  of  prayer]  You  must  seek  it;  you 
raust  cultivate  it     The  grace  of  God  is  sufficient. 

And  first,  77ien  need  a  new  relationship  to  God.  Being  by 
nature  born  in  sin,  and  afar  off  from  God,  we  must  first  be 
reconciled  to  him  by  Jesus  Christ.  "  Can  two  walk  to- 
gether, except  they  be  agreed]"*  Lay  hold,  then,  by 
faith,  of  the  great  salvation  provided  in  Christ  for  guilty 
sinners;  see  its  fullness,  its  freeness;  accept  the  offered 
mercy ;  and  then,  "  being  justified  by  faith,"  you  will 
"  have  peace  with  God."  One,  when  unacquainted  with 
real  religion,  was  much  perplexed  as  to  the  meaning  of  the 
expression,  so  often  occurring  in  the  Scripture,  of  "  walk- 
ing with  God."  But,  having  at  length  embraced  free  sal- 
vation by  a  crucified  Savior,  his  heart  was  continually  as- 
cending in  devout  aspirations,  especially  in  his  walks ;  and 
then  he  said,  "  Now  I  know  what  it  is  to  walk  with  God." 

And  they  also  need  the  continual  aid  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Outward  devotion  may  be  practised  by  the  natural  man. 
The  Mahomedans  are  perpetually  counting  their  beads,  and 
saying  many  prayers  with  their  lips ;  a  work  of  mere  self- 
righteousness,  or  proceeding  from  ignorance,  pride,  or  su- 
perstition. The  Roman  Catholics  are  not  without  similar 
superstitious  practices.  And  many  Protestants  have  "a 
form  of  godliness,  but  deny  the  power  thereof."  When  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  given,  then,  and  then  only,  we  shall  belong 
to  that  company,  of  which  the  Apostle  says,  "  we  are  the 
circumcision  which  worship  God  in  the  spirit,  and  rejoice 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  ftesh."t 
The  Holy  Spirit  aione  can  enable  us  to  pray  spiritually  and 
constantly. 

Thus  reconciled  to  God  by  Christ,  thus  aided  by  his 
Spirit,  you  have  the  first  principles  of  this  habit  of  prayer 
which  must  be  cultivated  by  continual  watchfiilness,  de- 
termined resolution,  and  patient  perseverance. 

*AinoJ5iii.2.  tPhiLiiia 


142  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER, 


CHAPTER  X. 

ON  THE  SPIRIT  OF  PRAYER  FOR  THE  ENLARGEMENT 
OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  CHRIST. 

Amid  all  that  sin  and  sorrow  which  the  Christian  sees 
in  the  world,  observes  in  his  family,  or  feels  in  his  own 
heart,  there  is  one  bright  prospect  on  which  his  eye  can 
dwell  with  unmingled  satisfaction,  in  the  anticipation  of 
which  his  heart  can  exult  with  unbounded  joy ;  the  prom- 
ised time  when  truth,  and  righteousness,  and  peace  shall 
universally  prevail.  That  such  a  time  will  come,  a  sim- 
ple-minded and  humble  reader  of  the  Scriptures  can  have 
no  doubt.  Such  passages  as  the  following  plainly  point 
out  an  extension  of  the  Gospel  which  has  never  yet  taken 
place. 

"  All  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember,  and  turn  unto 
the  Lord,  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations  shall  worship 
before  thee."*  "  All  kings  shall  fall  down  before  him  ;  all 
nations  shall  serve  him."+  "  All  nations  whom  thou  hast 
made  shall  come  and  worship  before  thee,  and  shall  glorify 
thy  name."|  "  The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea."^  "  Blindness  in 
part  is  happened  to  Israel,  until  the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles 
be  come  in.  And  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved."l|  "The 
kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
God  and  of  his  Christ ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever."1F 

Observe  the  fullness  of  each  of  these  expressions.  Surely 
they  foretell  the  universal  spread  of  Christianity.  To  deny 
this,  would,  as  Edwards  has  observed,  be  in  effect  to  say, 
that  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  God,  if  he  had  de- 
sired it,  plainly  to  have  foretold  any  thing  that  should  ab- 
solutely have  extended  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  To 
suppose  that  these  are  merely  high-wrought  figures,  and 
that  events  answerable  to  them  are  not  likely  to  take 
place,  is  little  short  of  supposing  an  intention  to  mislead 
others. 

We  may,  then,  rejoice  in  the  delightful  prospect  which 

*Ps.xxii.27.  tPs.lxxH.  11. 

t  Ps.  kxxvj.  9.  $  Isa.  xi.  9. 

U  Rom.  xi.  25,  26.  ^  Rev.  xi.  15. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  143 

the  Bible  thus  opens  before  us.  But  these  promises  involve 
a  duty,  as  well  as  convey  a  cheering  prospect ;  the  duty  of 
exerting-  ourselves  to  promote  the  coming  of  this  kingdom. 
Among  other  means  of  doing  so,  the  duty  of  prayer  is  of 
the  first  importance.  The  subject  is  so  little  notic-ed  in 
general,  and  yet  forms  so  large  a  part  of  that  prayer  which 
our  Lord  teaches  his  disciples  daily  to  use,  that,  though  it 
has  already  been  in  some  measure  anticipated,  when 
stating  the  subject  of  Intercession  in  the  chapter  on  Pri- 
vate Prayer,  it  justly  calls  for  distinct  consideration. 

While  it  is  clear  from  various  promises,  that  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  shall  universally  prevail,  it  is  no  less  mani- 
fest that  there  are  di^culties  which  only  a  Divine  Power 
can  overcome. 

There  are  many  opposing  powers  of  a  nature  that  no 
arm  of  flesh  can  subdue.  Man  may  contend  with  man, 
with  some  hope  of  success ;  but  in  contending  "  with  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  with  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of 
this  world,  and  with  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places," 
we  want  divine  aid.  We  must  pray  with  the  prophet, 
"  Awake,  awake,  put  on  strength,  O  arm  of  the  Lord." 
How  can  Satan  be  dethroned  from  his  palace,  the  heart  of 
man,  "  till  a  stronger  than  he  shall  come  upon  him,  and 
overcome  him  1" 

All  men's  natural  inclinations  and  corrupt  opinions  also 
oppose  the  reception  of  the  Grospel.  Nothing  is  more  ab- 
surd to  him  who  knows  not  the  Bible,  and  the  power  of 
Grod,  than  to  imagine  that  the  blinded  Hindoo  enchained  in 
his  caste;  the  acute  and  licentious  Mahomedan,  reveren- 
cing his  false  prophet ;  the  savage  and  degraded  African, 
and  the  barbarous  New  Zealander,  should  give  up  their 
various  notions,  and  embrace  the  pure,  holy,  and  humbling 
truths  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  The  means  also  by  which 
this  chan'Tfe  is  to  be  effected  appear  to  man  utterly  ineffi- 
cient. The  preaching  of  the  cross  of  Christ  is  still  "  unto 
the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto  the  Greeks  foolish- 
ness ;"  and  it  is  evident,  to  make  these  means  effectual,  we 
must  look  for  "  the  power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God." 
No  arm  of  flesh  can  help  us  here  :  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by 
power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 

Many  of  the  great  'promises  of  Scripture  relative  to  that 
happy  period  of  which  we  have  been  speaking,  seem  to 
call  for  the  spirit  of  prayer. 


144  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Observe  the  determination  of  the  Savior  and  his  Church 
— "  For  Zion's  sake  I  will  not  hold  my  peace,  and  for  Je- 
rusalem's sake  I  will  not  rest,  until  the  righteousness  there- 
of go  forth  as  brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a 
lamp  that  burneth.  And  the  Gentiles  shall  see  thy  right- 
eousness, and  all  kings  thy  glory  :"*  and  then  notice  how 
this  determined  zeal  in  seeking  to  promote  the  light  and 
glory  of  the  Church  is  approved  and  required ;  "  Ye  that 
make  mention  of  the  Lord,  keep  not  silence ;  and  give  him 
no  rest  till  he  establish,  and  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise 
in  the  earth,  "f 

The  inlercesaion  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  heaven^ 
is  much  on  this  subject.  It  is  one  part  of  his  prayer,  "  that 
the  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me."|  And  he 
so  earnestly  desires  the  salvation  of  man,  that  it  is  called 
"the  travail  of  his  soul."  In  the  second  Psalm,  the  Father 
is  described  as  addressing  the  Son  thus :  *'  Ask  of  me,  and 
I  will  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession,"^  Doubt- 
less the  Son  has  fulfilled  this,  as  he  has  fulfilled  every  other 
part  of  his  blessed  office  as  an  intercessor.  Hence  we 
have  more  encouragement  from  his  intercession  to  pray 
for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  than  for  almost  any  other 
object.  We  are  sure  that  the  Son  of  God  intercedes  for 
us  in  this  particular  thing,  and  offers  up  our  prayers.  And 
as  our  Lord  thus  intercedes  himself*  for  the  enlargement 
of  his  kingdom,  so  his  word  is  full  of  directions  and  exam- 
ples to  encourage  us  to  do  the  same. 

Observe  the  directions  to  pray. — Our  Lord  seeing  the 
harvest  to  be  great,  and  the  laborers  few,  instructed  his 
disciples  to  use  this  means  of  obtaining  them ; — "  Pray  ye, 
therefore,  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  would  send  forth 
laborers  into  the  harvest."!!  One  half  of  the  prayer  which 
he  has  taught  us  daily  to  use,  relates  to  this :  **  Hallowed 
be  thy  name,  thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done  in  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven."  Doubtless  when  "  all  the  ends  of  the 
world  shall  remember  and  turn  unto  the  Lord,  and  all  the 
kindreds  of  the  nations  shall  worship  before  him,*'ir  those 
petitions  in  the  Lord's  prayer,  with  its  simple,  but  sublime 
and  magnificent  conclusion,  "  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and 

•  Isa.  liii.  1,2.  t  Isa.  kii.  6,  7.  |  John  xvii.  21. 

i  P».  ii.  8.  II  Matt  ix.  Sa  T  Ps.  xxii.  27 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER*  145 

the  power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever  and  ever,"  will  receive 
a  more  manifest  accomplishment  than  ever  they  have  yet 
done.  We  are  told  in  Isa.  xlv.  11,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  his  Maker,  Ask  of  me  things 
to  come,  concerning  my  sons,  and  concerning  the  work 
of  my  hands  command  ye  me."  St.  Paul  thus  earnestly 
presses  this  duty  :  "  I  exhort,  therefore,  that  first  of  all," 
(as  a  matter  of  chief  importance,)  "  supplications,  prayers, 
intercessions,  and  giving  of  thanks,  be  made  for  all  men  :" 
and  he  afterwards  adds,  "  for  this  is  good  and  acceptable 
in  the  sight  of  God,  our  Savior,  who  will  have  all  men  to 
be  saved,  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  :"*  and 
again  he  says,  "  Brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the  word  of  the 
Lord  may  have  free  course  and  be  glorified,  as  it  is  with 
you." 

Observe  the  prophecies  respecting  this  spirit  of  prayer^ 
*'  It  shall  yet  come  to  pass,  that  there  shall  come  people, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  many  cities :  and  the  inhabitants  of 
one  city  shall  go  unto  another,  saying,  Let  us  go  speedily 
to  pray  before  the  Lord,  and  to  seek  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  I 
will  go  also.  Yea,  many  people  and  strong  nations  shall 
come  to  seek  the  Lord  of  Hosts  in  Jerusalem,  and  to  pray- 
before  the  Lord."t 

We  have  also  examples  to  encourage  us  thus  to  pray. 
David  prays,  "Have  respect  unto  the  covenant,  for  the 
dark  places  of  the  earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of  cru- 
elty."! "  Peace  be  within  thy  walls,  and  plenteousness 
within  thy  palaces."^  Esther,  when  the  peculiar  people 
of  God  were  on  the  point  of  destruction,  sends  to  all  the 
Jews  to  fast  and  pray  with  her  and  her  maidens,  and  their 
united  prayers  are  heard.  Daniel's  prayer  for  the  Churchy 
when  in  captivity,  is  well  worthy  of  imitation.  Dan.  ix.  2^ 
16,  17.  It  is  probable,  that  on  the  very  evenmg  of  the  day 
on  which  our  Lord  directed  his  disciples  to  pray  for  more 
laborers,  he  himself  went  into  a  mountain  and  continued 
all  night  in  prayer  to  God;  and  after  thus  praying  all  night, 
on  the  following  morning  he  chose  his  twelve  Apostles ; 
Matt.  ix.  36 — 38 ;  x.  1 — 5 ;  compared  with  Luke  vi.  12 — 
16.  The  Apostles,  after  his  ascension,  "  all  continued  witli 
one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication :"  and  at  length  on 

*  1  Tim.  ii.  1—4.  t  Zech.  viii.  20—22. 

t  Pa.  Ixxiv.  20.  $  Ps.  cxxii.  7. 

N 


146  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  Holy  Ghost  was  given.  "  The 
Lord  gave  the  word,  and  great  was  the  company  of  those 
that  published  it."*  The  Church  of  Antioch  "  fasted  and 
prayed,"  and  then  sent  forth  Barnabas  and  Saul  on  that 
great  mission  to  the  Gentiles,  the  benefits  of  which  ulti- 
mately reached  even  to  England.     Acts  xiii.  3. 

And  to  come  to  more  modern  times.  We  find  that  holy 
men  have  ever,  as  they  have  more  advanced  in  religion, 
felt  more  for  the  perishing  state  of  mankind.  Baxter  thus 
expresses  himself  in  some  reflections  at  the  close  of  his 
life :  "  My  soul  is  much  more  afflicted  with  the  thoughts  of 
this  miserable  world,  and  more  drawn  out  in  a  desire  for  its 
conversion  than  heretofore.  I  was  wont  to  look  little  fur- 
ther than  England  in  my  prayers ;  but  now  I  better  under- 
stand the  case  of  mankind  and  the  method  of  the  Lord's 
prayer.  No  part  of  my  prayer  is  so  deeply  serious,  as  that 
for  the  conversion  of  the  infidel  and  ungodly  world."  It 
is  worth  while  reading  the  life  of  the  Missionary  Brainerd,f 
only  to  observe  the  constant  ardor  of  his  soul,  in  praying 
for  the  coming  of  Christ's  kingdom. 

A  blessing  has  ever  attended  this  mode  of  seeking  the 
welfare  of  the  Church.  "  The  cry  of  Israel  in  Egypt  came 
up  unto  God  by  reason  of  their  bondage ;  and  God  heard 
their  groanings,"  and  he  sent  them  a  deliverer.  I  )anier8 
prayer,  (ch.  ix.)  was  attended  with  an  immediate  answer. 
Who  would  have  supposed  that  in  the  state  in  which  Judea 
and  the  world  were,  when  our  Lord  was  crucified,  that  in 
80  short  a  time  such  preachers  should  be  raised  up  from 
the  self-righteous  or  worldly  Jews,  or  the  benighted  Gen- 
tiles, as  should  carry  the  Gospel  into  all  the  known  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  almost  convert  the  world.  They  prayed, 
and  great  was  found  to  be  the  efficacy  of  prayer.  In  fact, 
every  period  of  the  revival  of  religion  has  been  distinguish- 
ed by  the  previous  spirit  of  prayer.  All  the  great  Socie- 
ties that  have  been  raised  in  present  times,  and  that  fill  and 
adorn  our  country,  have  been  raised  in  prayer ;  and  the 
way  to  obtain  for  them  that  full  benefit  to  mankind,  of 
which,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  they  seem  capable,  is, 
for  those  who  support  them  to  give  them  also  their  continual 
prayers.     St.  Paul  urges  a  striking  reason  why  Christians 

*  Fb.  Ixviii.  11.  t  See  also  the  Life  of  Heniy  Mar^n 


A    TREATISE   OPT    PRAYER.  147 

should  thus  pray  :*  "  Ye  also  helping  together  by  prayer 
for  us,  that  for  the  gift  bestowed  upon  us  by  means  of  many 
persons,  thanks  may  be  given  by  many  on  our  behalf;"  that 
thus,  as  he  expresses  it  elsewhere,  "  the  abundant  grace 
might,  through  the  thanksgiving  of  many,  redound  to  the 
glory  of  God."t 

The  importance  of  this  will  be  more  seen,  when  it  is 
remembered,  that  the  enlargement  and  building-  up  of  the 
spiritual  church  is  entirely  the  work  of  God.  Who  can 
accomplish  all  the  promises  on  this  subject?  Who  can 
influence  the  minds  of  Christians  in  general  to  promote 
their  fulfilment  ]  Who  can  raise  up,  and  prepare,  and 
duly  qualify  the  laborers  ]  Who  can  open  their  way  be- 
fore them,  and  prosper  their  undertakihgs  ]  Who  can  give 
the  heathen  eyes  to  see,  ears  to  hear,  and  a  heart  to  feel  T 
And  when  the  seed  is  sown  in  their  hearts,  who  must  give 
the  increase  ?  In  short,  through  whose  power  and  mercy 
must  "  all  flesh  see  the  salvation  of  God  .'"  We  need  not 
answer  the  question.  It  must  be  evident  how  greatly,  in 
any  design  to  promote  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  the  fervent, 
general,  continued,  united,  and  persevering  prayers  of  all 
the  Church  of  God  are  needed  in  every  step  of  our  way. 
The  effect  to  be  produced  manifests  the  necessity  of  a  di- 
vine power.  It  is  not  a  mere  instruction  in  a  particular 
system ;  it  is  not  a  mere  change  of  sentiment ;  but  an  en- 
tire change  of  heart  and  life ;  the  fulfilling  of  that  promise, 
"  I  will  create  in  you  a  clean  heart,  and  renew  a  right 
spirit  within  you."  Like  the  work  of  creation,  it  requires 
the  hand  of  God.  As  it  is  only  His  power  that  makes  the 
seed  sown  in  the  earth  to  shoot  and  spring  up ;  so  here, 
"  neither  is  he  that  planteth  any  thing,  neither  is  he  that 
watereth :  but  God  that  giveth  the  increase."  And  the 
fervency  and  ardor  of  prayer  is  here  specially  called  for.  Is 
it  not  a  proof  that  the  prayer,  "  thy  kingdom  come,"  has 
been  coldly  uttered,  when  we  look  abroad  and  see  the  pres- 
ent state  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  1  May  we  not  well  sup- 
pose that  it  would  have  been  very  different  had  every  Chris- 
tian that  used  the  prayer,  fervently  offered  up  therewith  the 
desire  of  his  heart  unto  God  ] 

It  pleases  the  Almighty  generally  to  work  through  pray- 
er, as  it  is  prayer  thoX  gives  God,  who  is  jealous  of  his 

*2Cor.  i.  11.  t3CoMv.  15. 


148  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

honor,  all  the  glory.  When  blessings  come  in  answer  to 
prayer,  the  praise  is  more  generally  ascribed  to  him  to  whom 
alone  all  praise  belongs.  The  time  is  hastening  on,  when 
one  vast  song  shall  fill  the  earth  "  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from 
the  rivers  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth;"  when  shall  be 
heard,  "  as  it  were  the  voice  of  mighty  thunderings  :  say- 
ing, Allelujah,  for  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth; 
let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to  him."  And 
doubtless,  when,  through  the  prayers  of  many,  this  happy 
period  arrives,  the  burden  of  the  song  will  be,  "  Blessed 
be  the  Lord  God,  the  God  of  Israel,  who  only  doeth  won- 
drous works ;  and  blessed  be  his  glorious  name  for  ever  r 
and  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his  glory.  Amen,  and 
amen." 

May  the  reader  lay  these  things  to  heart,  and  remember 
how  small  a  sacrifice  the  thing  desired  calls  for.  You  are 
not  here  asked  to  give  your  silver  and  gold,  or  your  life, 
though  these  all  belong  to  your  Savior  ;  but  the  duty  now 
pointed  out  is  simply  that  of  remembering  a  perishing 
world  in  your  prayers :  and  in  constantly  and  faithfully  dis- 
charging it,  you  are  obeying  the  two  great  commands  of — 
love  to  God,  and  love  to  man.  Never,  then,  think  a  prayer 
to  be  at  all  complete,  which  does  not  include  the  Heathen 
world.  Never  be  satisfied  with  a  prayer,  either  in  your 
closet,  in  your  family,  in  your  walks,  with  your  relatives 
and  friends,  or  in  the  house  of  God,  in  which  you  have 
not  asked  of  God  something  relating  to  his  ways  being 
"  known  on  earth,"  his  "  saving  health  among  all  nations." 
Pray  for  all  the  societies  engaged  in  this  work,  either  at 
home  or  abroad ;  for  all  the  Missionaries  sent  forth  among 
the  heathen,  and  all  preparing  to  go ;  and  for  all  who  con- 
duct or  support  Missionary  efforts.  As  a  real  Christian, 
you  will  be  an  immense  gainer  by  the  enlargement  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  and  the  increase  of  the  communion  of 


And  as  this  is  the  duty  of  individuals,  so  there  seems  a 
special  efficacy  in  united  prayer.  Much  that  has  been 
said  on  social,  family,  and  public  worship,  applies  here. 
Let  Christian  assemblies,  in  every  part  of  our  land,  come 
frequently  together  to  pray  for  the  coming  of  Christ's  king- 
dom ;  and  it  would  be  one  of  the  happiest  signs  of  its  ap- 
proach. 

Let  love  to  your  Savior,  benevolence  towards  man,  your 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  149 

own  interest  in  this  promised  and  happy  era,  the  remarka- 
Dle  signs  of  the  times,  and  your  plain  and  positive  duty,  all 
combine,  and  influence  and  excite  you  really  and  often  to 
pray,  "  thy  kingdom  come." 


CHAPTER  XL 

ON  DISTRACTIONS  IN  PRAYER.* 

When  the  sun  is  above  the  horizon,  all  the  stars  which 
appear  so  plainly,  and  in  such  number,  during  the  night, 
are  no  longer  visible ;  and  though  they  are  really  still  in 
the  heavens,  they  are  lost  in  the  sun's  brightness.  This 
may  illustrate  a  difference  often  observable  between  the 
Christian's  striving  to  serve  God  in  all  things,  and  a  worldly 
man  who  is  living  in  habitual  sin.  The  Christian  con- 
demns himself  for  unnumbered  faults.  He  sees  defects 
more  numerous  than  the  stars  of  heaven,  in  every  part  of 
his  conduct.  Even  his  prayers  appear  full  of  sins;  he  dis- 
covers in  them  innumerable  wanderings  of  heart,  and  per- 
petual distractions ;  for  there  is  no  great  sin  in  his  life,  in 
the  blaze  of  which  all  these  daily  infirmities  are  lost,  as  the 
stars  are  lost  in  the  more  dazzling  light  of  the  sun.  But 
the  man  of  the  world,  whose  heart  is  unchanged  and  un- 
renewed, thinks  that  he  performs  a  meritorious  service  in 
the  outward  worship  of  God,  and  is  not  troubled,  though  he 
never  feels  one  holy  inclination.  Did  he  but  watch  his 
heart,  and  know  its  true  state,  he  would  have  to  say,  "  I 
was  almost  in  all  evil,  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation  and 
assembly."! 

There  are,  indeed,  many  defects  in  our  prayers ;  there  is 
often  great  coldness  in  our  desires,  much  unbelief  in  God's 
promises,  improper  ends  in  our  petitions ;  but  one  principal 
sin  in  all  our  devotion  is,  the  wandering  of  the  heart. 

It  being  of  main  importance  to  the  right  performance  of 
prayer,  "  to  attend  upon  the  Lord  without  distraction,**  a 
fuller  consideration  of  this  subject  may  be  useful.  Distrac- 

*  See  Steele's  "  Antidote  against  Distractions  in  Prayer,"  from 
whom  the  Author  has  borrowed  several  ideas, 
t  Prov.  V.  14.      . 

N2 


150  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

tions  will  not,  indeed,  be  entirely  cured  in  this  life :  but  as 
a  man  who  knows  not  how  to  swim,  may  gradually  learn 
that  art,  so  as  to  keep  himself  by  degrees  longer  and  longer 
above  water ;  so  here  improvements  may  be  continually 
made.  It  is  possible  to  be  more  and  more  freed  from  dis- 
tractions, and  more  and  more  to  rise  above  those  troublous 
waves. 

Observe  the  nature  of  distraction.  It  is  the  wandering 
of  the  heart  from  God.  Some  indeed  manifest  this  in  pul^ 
lie  worship  by  the  wandering  of  the  eye,  the  irreverence 
of  their  outward  behavior,  unnecessary  whispering,  and 
salutations ;  but  I  would  rather  dwell  on  the  root  of  the 
evil — the  wandering  of  the  heart.  In  the  midst  of  a  solemn 
prayer,  the  heart  will  be  dwelling  on  an  earthly  business, 
or  pursuing  a  vain  pleasure.  It  will  be  engaged  in  thoughts 
of  doing  good  on  a  subject  foreign  to  the  prayer  then  offer- 
ing up  with  the  lips,  or  be  led  aside  to  circumstances  re- 
lating to  the  subject  of  our  prayer.* 

There  is  a  contest  often  carrying  on  in  the  Christian's 
breast,  during  worship,  of  which  the  mere  formalist  is 
wholly  ignorant.  His  end  is  gained,  his  conscience  is  satisr 
fied,  if  he  has  appeared  in  the  house  of  God,  or  if  he  has 
repeated  his  prayers — he  thinks  this  a  meritorious  service, 
and  is  well  pleased  with  himself  Not  so  the  watchful 
Christian.  It  is  his  continual  internal  struggle  to  worship 
God  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  He  knows  the  task  of  raising 
an  earthly  mind  to  heavenly  things.  He  strives  not  only 
against  worldly  thoughts,  but  also  against  good  thoughts 
which  often  come  thus  unseasonably  to  hinder  him  in  at- 
tending to  the  present  duty.  In  carrying  on  this  contest, 
he  finds  the  power  of  a  carnal  mind  continually  sinking^ 
him  to  the  dust.  He  repels  idle  and  wandering  thoughts, 
he  labors  against  inattention,  and,  perhaps,  after  all,  he  has 
gained  but  a  transient  moment  of  devotion,  and  he  returns 

*  A  converted  female  among  the  liberated  Negroes  in  Sierra  Leone 
describes  this  very  expressively— She  said,  "Wicked  thing  trouble 
me  much  ;  me  want  to  do  gocxl,  but  my  wicked  heart  will  no  let  me. 
My  heart  run  away  all  this  week;  run  all  about."  When  asked 
what  she  meant  by  her  heart  running  all  about,  she  replied,  "Sup- 
pose me  pray,  my  heart  run  to  my  country ;  to  Sierra  Leone ;  all 
about ;  and  then  me  can't  say  no  more  but  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy 
on  me,  poor  thing !  O  my  bad  heart  Me  tink  sometimes  me  have 
two  hearts;  one  want  to  do  good,  but  the  other  always  want  to  do 
bad.    O  Jesus,  have  mercy  on  me,  poor  sinner !" 


A    TREATISE   OX    PRAYER.  151 

humbled,  abased,  and  depressed,  smiting"  his  breast,  and 
saying,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  Nothing  hum- 
bles him  more  than  the  defects  of  his  prayers. 

It  is  well  when  we  are  deeply  affected  by  this  wandering 
of  the  heart,  and  mourn  on  account  of  it.  But  if  the  writer 
may  judge  from  his  own  experience,  how  often  do  we  in- 
sult and  dishonor  God  by  a  slight  and  perfunctory  service, 
and  yet  retire  from  worship  with  little  brokenness  of  heart, 
and  little  contrition !  How  would  such  conduct  towards  an 
earthly  superior,  when  reflected  on  in  sober  moments, 
overwhelm  our  minds  with  shame  and  confusion  of  face ! 

To  some,  almost  the  whole  of  their  prayers  is,  at  times, 
little  else  but  one  continued  distraction  ;  they  have  not  a 
single  holy  thought  really  offered  up  to  God  in  any  part  of 
the  service;  and,  alas?  if  the  thoughts  of  most  Christians 
during  their  worship  were  expressed  with  their  prayers, 
what  strange  petitions  would  be  found  to  be  offered  up  to 
God !  An  old  writer  justly  observes, "  thinking  is  the  mind's 
speaking,  and  the  Heart-searcher  can,  and  does  more  easily 
take  notice  when  the  mind  thinks  impertinently,  than  we 
can  observe  when  the  tongue  speaks  so."  There  are  but 
few  that  make  a  real  business  of  prayer. 

There  is  great  evil  in  these  distractions.  The  more  wan- 
dering the  heart  is.  the  more  wearisome  the  duty ;  while 
the  nearer  we  come  to  God,  the  more  warmth,  and  life,  and 
comfort  we  enjoy.  The  work  of  prayer  not  only  ceases 
while  our  hearts  wander,  but  distracted  "  confessions"  in- 
crease guilt;  distracted  "petitions"  only  ask  for  a  denial; 
and  distracted  "  praises"  tend  to  stop  the  current  of  mercy. 
We  make  light  of  distractions  on  account  of  their  com- 
monness; but  God  greatly  condemns  them.  A  curse  is 
pronounced  on  those  who  do  "  the  work  of  the  Lord  deceit- 
fully"* or  negligently.  God  declares,  "  I  know  the  things 
that  come  into  your  heart,  every  one  of  them."t  Sins  in 
public  worship  must  be  peculiarly  offensive  to  the  holy 
God.  Solomon  says,  with  marked  emphasis,  "I  saw  the 
place  of  righteousness,  that  iniquity  was  there."J 

It  is  an  awful  character  described  by  David,  "  There  is 
no  faithfulness  in  their  mouth,  their  inward  part  is  very 
wickedness,  their  throat  is  an  open  sepulchre,  they  flatter 

*  Jer.  xlviii.  10.  t  Ezek.  xi.  5.  t  Eccles.  ill.  16. 


152  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

with  their  tongue."*  Observe,  too,  how  this  sin  agrees  to 
EzekiePs  description :  "  They  come  unto  thee  as  the  peo- 
ple Cometh,  and  they  sit  before  thee  as  my  people — for 
with  their  mouth  they  show  much  love,  but  their  heart 
goeth  after  covetousness."f 

God  has  ever  shown  himself  to  be  jealous  respecting 
those  things  which  concern  his  immediate  worship.  Thus 
we  lind  Nadab  and  Abihu  punished  with  death  for  offering 
strange  fire  before  the  Lord.  Lev.  x.  1,  2.  We  read  that 
Uzziah  was  smitten  with  death  for  touching  the  Ark  of 
God.  2  Sam.  vi.  6.  The  directions  respecting  his  worship 
under  the  Mosaic  dispensation  were  very  minute  and  par- 
ticular, which,  among  other  things,  may  teach  us  the  need 
of  great  attention  in  our  approaches  to  God,  and  the  regard 
which  God  pays  to  all  our  worship.  Indeed,  as  one  observes, 
"  it  is  evidently  a  gross  insult  to  the  glorious  God,  when 
praying  to  him,  to  quit  him  in  the  midst  of  our  prayers,  as 
if  we  were  conversing  with  an  inferior,  and  to  make  vain 
excursions  on  every  side." 

Another  thing  which  should  teach  us  the  sinfulness  of 
distraction  is,  they  bear  the  stamp  of  hypocrisij.  It  was 
the  reproach  of  the  ancient  Church,  "  Ephraim  compasseth 
me  about  with  lies."|  Is  not  this  a  true  description  of  much 
of  the  worship  of  Christians'?  You  would  not  like  that  any 
fellow  Christian  should  know  what  was  passing  in  your  heart 
during  your  prayers;  but  is  it  not  a  small  matter  to  be 
judged  of  man's  judgment]  "He  that  judgeth  me  is  the 
Lord." 

Alas !  when  we  look  back  on  the  distractions  of  our 
prayers  (and  the  writer  continually  and  deeply  feels  in  his 
own  prayers  the  prevalence  of  that  evil  which  he  has  been 
describing,)  have  we  not  reason  to  fear  that  few  ever  really 
pray  1  are  we  not  compelled  to  acknowledge,  how  seldom 
they  that  pray  oftenest,  do  pray ;  and  what  short  prayers 
the  best  make,  many  words,  perhaps,  and  but  very  little 
prayer  ]  These  things  should  lead  us  more  to  value  the 
doctrines  of  free  justification  through  the  blood  of  Christ ; 
more  deeply  to  prize,  and  more  earnestly  to  ask  for  the  aid 
of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  more  to  depend  on  the  Savior's  inter- 
cession ;  and  more  to  long  to  be  in  that  blessed  kingdom 

*  Ps.  V.  9.  t  Ezek  xixiii.  31.  J  Hosea  xi.  12,  &c; 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  153 

where  we  shall  serve  our  God  without  weariness  or  wan- 
dering. 

Some  hints  that  may,  by  the  help  of  God,  assist  you  to 
avoid  distractions,  will  now  be  mentioned. 

There  may  be  an  infirmity  arising  from  the  state  of 
bodily  health,  or  constitution,  and  the  like,  of  which  timid 
and  anxious  Christians,  who  are  most  apt  to  be  troubled  by 
their  wanderings  of  prayer,  should  not  lose  sight  in  judg- 
ing of  themselves.  Preston  observes,  "  one  may  aim  at  a 
mark  and  do  his  best,  and  yet  be  hindered  either  by  the 
palsy  in  his  arm,  or  by  one  who  jogs  him  when  about  it." 
But  the  general  cause  of  our  distractions  is  the  power  of 
Satan,  and  the  remaining  strength  of  corrupt  nature. 
Though  the  Christian  is  born  again  of  God,  he  has  two 
contending  parties  within — "  the  old  man,"  and  "  the  new 
man ;"  and  distractions  mainly  arise  from  the  weakness  of 
grace,  the  strength  of  sin,  the  temptations  of  Satan. 

Remember,  first  of  all,  your  entire  dependence  on  God. 
Know  your  own  weakness.  "  We  are  not  sufficient  of  our- 
selves to  think  any  thing  as  of  ourselves;"  but  while  you 
see  this,  know  your  Savior's  strength,  that  his  "  grace  is 
sufficient  for  you;"  and  these  things  being  duly  impressed 
on  your  mind,  in  his  strength  seek  to  overcome  this  evil. 
For  farther  directions,  as  to  the  assistance  which  you  may 
have  from  God,  I  refer  you  to  the  chapter  on  the  assistance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Send  up  fervent  petitions  for  Divine  assistance,  espe- 
cially when  you  first  find  that  your  heart  is  wandering.* 
This  is  an  effectual  help.  It  engages  the  power  of  God 
against  the  power  of  Satan  and  sin.  The  Psalms  are  full 
of  suitable  expressions  that  may  be  used  with  advantage. 
"  My  soul  cleaveth  to  the  dust,  quicken  thou  me  according 
to  thy  word.  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  renew  a 
right  spirit  within  me.  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  pres- 
ence, and  take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me."  Thus  con- 
tend against  your  spiritual  enemies,  and  you  must  over- 
come them. 

Determine  to  strive  against  wanderings.  "  Resist  the 
devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you."f  Are  you  not  in  general 

*  "Cry  unto  God,  'Lord,  wih  thou  suffer  thy  slave  to  abuse  thy 
child,  before  thy  face,  while  he  is  on  his  knees  for  a  blessing  ?' " 

Harrison. 
1  James  iv.  7. 


154  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

going  carelessly  to  the  worship  of  God,  as  a  matter  of  habit 
and  custom,  without  much  thought  of  engaging  your  heart 
to  approach  unto  him  1  This  seems  to  be  a  too  general  case 
from  the  inquiry,  "  Who  is  this  that  hath  engaged  his  heart 
to  approach  unto  me,  Gaith  the  Lord  ]"*  The  heart  must  be 
engaged  to  serve  God.  We  should  resolve  with  Jeremiah, 
"  Let  us  lift  up  our  hearts  with  our  hands,  unto  God  in  the 
heavens,  "f  Before  you  enter  on  this  holy  duty,  pause,  and 
pray  with  David,  "  Unite  my  heart  to  fear  thy  name  ;"|  as 
if  he  had  said,  "  I  find  my  heart  divided,  and  my  thoughts 
dissipated;  gather  in  all  my  wandering  affections;  may 
they  be  fixed  on  one  great  object ;  may  they  all  be  united 
in  this  single  act  that  is  before  me :" 

"  That  all  my  powers,  with  all  their  might, 
"In  thy  sole  glory  may  unite." 

Kenn. 

Seek  to  gain  a  spiritual  mind.  "To  be  spiritually- 
minded  is  life  and  peace."  We  are  only  cutting  off  a  leaf 
or  a  twig  from  this  evil  tree,  while  we  take  away  a  par- 
ticular distraction.  "  O  Jerusalem,  wash  thine  heart  from 
wickedness,  that  thou  mayest  be  saved  !  How  long  shall 
thy  vain  thoughts  lodge  within  theel''^  Till  the  heart  be 
washed  from  sin,  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  by  the  grace 
of  his  Spirit,  vain  thoughts  will  be  sure  to  lodge,  or  take 
up  an  abode  in  you,  and  to  mingle  with  all  you  do.  The 
heavenly-minded  Christian,  whose  heart  is  continually  with 
God,  finds  it  comparatively  easy  to  keep  it  more  closely 
fixed  on  him,  in  the  particular  act  of  prayer.  But  if  you 
are  under  the  full  influence  of  the  carnal  mind,  it  is  utter- 
ly impossible  that  you  can  offer  spiritual  worship.  "  You 
must  be  born  again."  1|  Such  want  an  entire  new  heart 
When  tiiey  gain  that,  they  may  the  better  hope  to  attend 
upon  the  Lord  without  distraction.  "  Be  thou  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  all  the  day  long,"  and  then  there  will  not  be 
the  difficulty  which  you  find  in  fixing  your  thoughts,  and 
staying  your  mind  on  God,  during  the  act  of  prayer. IT 

Men  of  the  world  are  not  distracted  about  their  worldly 
business,  but  will  pursue  it  with  all  fixedness  and  inten- 

*  Jer.  XXX.  21.  t  Lam.  iii.  41.  t  Ps.  Ixxxvi.  11. 

$  Jer.  iv.  14.  II  John  iii.  7. 

IT  See  Owen's  Grace  and  Duty  of  being  spiritually-minded. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  155 

tion  of  mind,  hour  after  hour,  day  after  day,  and  year 
after  year.  They  have  an  earthly  mind,  and  love  earthly 
things.  Seek  you  to  have  a  spiritual  mind,  and  then  you 
will  thus  pursue  spiritual  things.  All  the  lines  of  your  af- 
fection shoald  unite  here  ;  all  the  radii  of  the  circle  should 
meet  in  this  centre — in  a  fixedness  of  heart  of  God  in  his 
worship. 

The  circumstances  of  our  prayers  often  lead  our  minds 
from  God.  We  have  to  think  of  our  sins,  and  their  cir- 
cumstances, when  we  confess  them,  and  of  our  wants 
when  we  pray  for  what  we  need,  and  of  our  mercies  when 
we  thank  God  for  them,  and  of  our  friends  when  we  inter- 
cede for  them ;  but  if  the  mind  were  in  a  spiritual  state, 
these  things  would  rather  be  the  means  of  drawing  our 
hearts  nearer  to  God,  than  of  drawing  them  from  him. 
Our  thoughts  should  not  so  run  out  on  the  particulars 
of  worship,  as  to  forget  the  presence  of  Him  whom  we 
worship. 

Persevere  in  prayer,  notwithstanding  distractions.  In 
the  path  of  duty,  every  obstacle  gives  way  to  the  faith  of 
the  Christian.  When  the  Israelites  were  come  to  the  Red 
Sea,  and  to  the  waters  of  Jordan,  they  were  directed  to  go 
forward.  It  might  have  been  objected,  If  we  go  forward, 
shall  we  not  be  drowned  1  But  still  their  duty  was  to  go 
forward ;  and  so  shall  we  go  in  the  path  of  a  plain  com- 
mand, leaving  to  our  God  the  removal  of  all  obstacles. 
The  reluctance  and  the  discouragement  of  prayer  will  be 
overcome  in  the  performance  of  the  duty.  When  their 
heart  is  in  this  distracted  frame,  in  private  prayer,  by  giv- 
ing more  time  to  the  duty,  and  dwelling  on  the  petitions 
till  you  are  able  to  attend  to  what  you  say,  you  will  often 
be  enabled  to  overcome  your  difficulties.  "  Patience  is  a 
grace  as  necessary  sometimes  in  devotion,  as  in  afflictions ; 
and  the  want  of  patience  does  as  often  make  our  devotions 
defective  as  the  want  of  recollection." 

The  difficulty  of  praying  without  distraction,  and  the 
fact  that  distractions  do  mingle  with  our  holiest  services, 
should  inculcate  many  practical  lessons ;  such  as  humility, 
brokenness  of  spirit,  and,  as  has  been  already  noticed,  en- 
tire dependence  on  Christ  for  righteousness  and  strength, 
breathings  after  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  and  a  longing 
to  be  in  heaven,  where  all  our  services  will  be  pure  and 
holy.     That  prayer  is  not  lost  which  produces  any  of  these 


156  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

effects.  Nay,  if  a  distracted  prayer  do  but  deeply  humble 
us,  it  may  be  one  of  our  most  profitable  prayers. 

And  when  our  distractions  are  lamented,  and  our  desire 
after  spiritual  blessings  unfeigned,  it  may  encourage  us  to 
remember  that  we  pray  to  a  Father.  A  little  child  often 
finds  a  difficulty  in  expressing  its  wants  to  an  earthly  fa- 
ther ;  yet  he,  being  desirous  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  child, 
will  be  ingenious,  and  patient,  to  discover  and  supply  those 
wishes:  so  shall  our  "heavenly  Father  give  good  things 
to  them  that  ask  him." 

Our  incapacity,  indeed,  is  not  physical,  but  moral ;  yet 
God,  notwithstanding  these  many  sins,  considers  those  who 
trust  in  his  Son  as  children,  and  pities  them,  and  spareg 
them,  "  as  a  man  spareth  his  son." 


CHAPTER  XII. 
On  Devotional  Feelings  merely^ 

There  are  a  number  of  persons  whom  we  have  no  rev 
son  to  believe  to  be  under  the  influence  of  real  religion;  their 
tempers  are  frequently  unsubdued  and  irritable ;  their  af- 
fections, in  the  main,  are  worldly;  and  their  pride  of  heart 
is  evident ;  that  yet  express  themselves  in  a  devout  way, 
and  talk  as  if  they  found  pleasure  in  devotion.  The  beau 
ties  of  creation,  the  charms  of  nature,  the  fancied  pictures 
which  they  draw  of  the  goodness  of  the  Deity,  fill  their 
minds  with  lively  ideas  of  the  benevolence  of  the  Creator. 
They  love  to  contemplate  these  things,  and  to  converse 
about  them  in  a  strain  of  devout  admiration  and  praise. 
Deists  and  idolaters  sometimes  express  themselves  in  this 
way ;  and  Socinians  often  talk  as  if  their  view  of  religion 
encouraged  real  devotion. 

What  then  are  the  great  defects  of  the  kmd  of  devotion 
which  has  been  described  ?  It  is  accompanied  by  some  one 
or  other  of  the  following  marks. 

With  respect  to  those  who  profess  to  have  it,  it  has  lit- 
tle or  no  bearing  on  the  temper,  which  still  remains  unsana 
tified,  either  self-indulgent  or  fretful,  and  exposed  to  bursts 
of  passion.    It  pufis  up,  and  fosters  pride  of  heart,  and  fills 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  157 

^Jie  mind  with  self-conceit,  and  self-sufficiency.  It  leads 
men  to  court  rather  than  shun  the  admiration  of  others ;  or, 
it  is  often  a  mere  indulgence  of  natural  imagination,  of  a 
pensive  disposition,  of  taste,  and  the  like.  Pleasurable  sen- 
sations are  excited  by  the  idea  of  the  dignity  of  such  con- 
templations, and  it  is  supposed  that  they  indicate  a  superior 
state  of  mind  to  the  common  class  of  persons :  and  this 
pleases  and  satisfies  the  carnal  mind. 

With  respect  to  God,  it  has  no  regard  to  his  holiness  or 
justice ;  it  overlooks  the  Scripture  account  of  his  charaC' 
ter,  and  those  sorrovi^s  and  evils  of  life  which  visibly  mark 
his  hand  and  the  sinfulness  of  man.  It  greatly,  if  not 
totally,  disregards  the  only  mediator  by  whom  we  may 
draw  near  to  God.  "  No  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but 
by  Him." 

And  with  respect  to  others,  there  is  little  or  no  separa^ 
tion  from  vain  and  sinful  company,  from  worldly  habits, 
practices,  and  maxims ;  no  fulfilling  of  the  precept,  "  Come 
out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord, 
and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing  ;"  and  therefore  no  obtain- 
ing of  the  promise,  "  and  I  will  receive  you,  and  I  will  be 
a  fiither  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  daughters, 
gaith  the  Lord  Almighty." 

In  the  feelings  to  which  we  allude,  there  is  no  real  com- 
munion with  God :  that  is  ever  humbling  and  purifying. 
Men  of  the  description  which  has  been  mentioned,  know 
nothing  of  the  character  of  God  as  "  the  high  and  lofty  one 
that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name  is  holy ;"  who  says, 
•'  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with  him  also  that  ia 
of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the 
humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones." 

This  deceptive  appearance  of  devotion  sometimes  arises 
from  a  spurious  sentimentality ;  from  notions  not  founded 
on  the  word  of  God,  but  on  human  fictions  and  vain  reason- 
ings, or  foolish  imaginations,  assuming  the  character  with- 
out the  scriptural  reality  of  religion.  Sometimes  men  of 
real  devotion,  (like  Law  in  his  Spirit  of  Prayer,)  have 
gone  off*  into  that  which  is  mystical  and  unintelligible. 
Let  us  in  all  things  adhere  to  the  written  word.  This  sort 
of  devotion  is  not  that  plain,  simple,  home,  and  every-day 
life  religion  which  so  eminently  marks  the  discourses  of 
our  Savior,  and  of  his  Apostles.  It  has  its  seat  more  in 
the  imagination  of  a  recluse,  than  in  a  broken  spirit,  enlight- 
O 


158  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

ened  and  humbled  by  Divine  Truth,  and,  under  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Spirit,  brought  to  a  real  knowledge  of  the  ex- 
cellence and  glory  of  the  Divine  Being,  of  our  great  cor- 
ruption, our  inestimably  precious  Redeemer,  our  entire 
dependence  on  His  grace,  and  a  filial  confidence  in  a  recon- 
ciled Father. 

At  other  times  such  feelings  may  arise  from  mere  animal 
sympathy.  In  a  social  meetmg,  or  in  a  congregation,  both 
he  who  offers  up  the  prayers,  and  they  who'join,  will  be 
deeply  affected  and  moved  by  the  solemnity  of  the  place, 
by  the  number  assembled,  by  the  manifestation  of  their 
feelings,  or  by  the  sacred  music  which  they  may  heaf ; 
these  things  naturally  have,  and  ought  to  have,  an  impres- 
sive effect,  on  every  mind  ;  we  do  not  object  to  this  effect, 
but  to  the  mind's  resting  satisfied  with  it,  as  the  sum  of 
devotion.  It  is  possible  that  the  whole  effect  of  such  a 
service  may  be  the  mere  excitement  of  the  animal  frame, 
apart  from  all  tliose  really  devotional  principles  which 
come  from  above  ;  a  mere  impression  on  the  senses,  quite 
distinct  from  communion  with  God  himself,  and  all  that 
holy  state  of  mind  which  God  alone  bestows  and  regards. 

That  corrupt  church  which  in  its  devotional  exercises, 
in  direct  contradiction  to  the  plain  testimony  of  Scripture,* 
uses  a  language  not  understood  by  the  common  people,  cul- 
tivates much  among  its  adherents,  by  show,  pomp,  music, 
and  outward  solemnity,  this  mere  impression  on  the  mind 
and  senses  of  the  worshippers.  You  may  also  behold 
among  them,  persons  with  the  greatest  appearance  of  de- 
votion, satisfying  their  conscience  by  numerous  repetitions 
of  prayers  counted  by  beads.  Our  Lord  decidedly  condemns 
all  such  worship.! 

There  are  tliose  also  in  the  Protestant  churches,  whose 
whole  aim  seems  to  be,  merely  to  be  deeply  affected, 
while  in  prayer,  and  who  consider  that  the  being  much  im- 
pressed and  excited,  is  the  highest  degree  of  devotion. 

Let  the  reader,  then,  be  on  his  guard,  and  not  suppose 
that  every  thing  of  a  contemplative,  or  sensitive,  or  exciting 
nature,  with  a  devotional  cast,  is  real  devotion  and  accepta- 
ble to  God. 

Yet  there  is  a  true  devotional  feeling,  essential  to  our 
well-being  and  happiness,  of  the  greatest  value  and  un- 

♦  1  Cor.  xiv.  t  Matt.  vi.  7,  and  xv.  7—9. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  159 

portance,  and  producing  the  most  blessed  effects,  a  devotion 
which  humbles  and  yet  raises,  which  softens  asperities  of 
temper,  and  yet  makes  the  self-indulgent  self-denyhig  and 
firm  ;  which  changes  the  worldly  into  the  heavenly  mind ; 
which  heightens  every  enjoyment,  mitigates  every  trial 
and  suffering,  gives  peace  within,  and  spreads  cheerfulness 
and  happiness  without.  St.  John  describes  it,  when  he 
says,  "  truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father  and  with  his 
Son  Jesus  Christ."  The  former  part  of  this  treatise  will 
have  shown  the  reader  the  nature  of  this  devotion,  and 
the  following  directions  are  added  to  assist  him  in  attain- 
inor  it. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DIRECTIONS  TO  ASSIST  IN  ATTAINING  THE  SPIRIT  OF 
PRAYER. 

The  duty  and  privilege  of  the  various  kinds  of  prayer 
have  now  been  brought  before  the  reader.  They  should 
all  be  attended  to ;  they  are  each  beautiful,  and  needful  in 
their  season.  A  Christian  will  not  attend  public  and  neg- 
lect family  worship ;  he  will  not  pray  in  his  family,  and 
neglect  his  secret  devotions ;  he  will  not  pray  statedly  in 
secret,  and  neglect  social  or  habitual  prayer.  Each  will 
come  regularly  in  its  fit  place  and  time,  without  interfering 
with  the  other ;  each  not  hindering,  but  succeeding,  and 
mutually  helping  the  other.  Nor  will  he  codnt  all  this 
course  of  prayer  burdensome  and  wearisome.  To  enjoy 
the  presence  of  God  is  his  happiness,  and  therefore  he  longs 
to  live  in  the  continual  practice  of  prayer.  Your  views  of 
devotional  exercise  as  a  task  or  privilege,  are  a  test  by 
which  you  may  judge  of  your  progress  in  religion,  if  not  of 
its  reality. 

And  while  there  will,  in  the  advanced  Christian,  be  a 
constant  attention  to  all  these  kinds  of  prayer,  he  will  es- 
pecially attend  to  the  spirit  in  which  each  is  performed.  It 
will  not  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  his  mind  that  he  has  gone 
through  the  mere  act  of  devotion ;  he  labors  for  the  inward 
feeling  as  well  as  the  outward  expression.     He  longs  fo» 


160  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

the  spirit  of  prayer,  which  is  not  the  mere  business  of  this 
or  that  hour,  but  the  continual  panting  and  breathing  of 
the  heart  after  God,*  at  all  times. 

Ardent  love  to  God  is,  indeed,  the  true  spring-  of  genu- 
ine prayer.  Where  this  is,  all  other  graces  will  follow. 
"  Love,"  says  one,  "  renders  prayer  delightful  to  ourselves, 
and  acceptable  to  our  Maker.  It  makes  us  willing  to  ask, 
and  willing  to  receive," 

Andrew  Gray  also  observes,  "  The  spirit  of  prayer  con- 
sists more  in  the  voice  of  the  affections,  than  the  voice  of 
words."  He  suggests  the  following  queries  to  detect  the 
want  of  the  spirit  of  prayer — Do  you  know  what  it  is  to  go 
to  prayer  on  an  internal  principle  of  love,  and  the  grace  of 
Christ  constraining  you? — Do  you  know  what  it  is  by 
prayer  to  attain  greater  conformity  to  God,  and  the  mortifi- 
cation of  your  lusts]  Do  you  know  what  it  is  to  distin- 
guish between  absence  and  presence  ?  Do  you  know  what 
it  is  to  sit  down  and  lament  over  absence  from  Christ,  and 
think  this  an  insupportable  want] 

I  have  endeavored,  under  each  kind  of  prayer,  to  give 
such  hints  as  might  assist  you  in  attaining  this  spiritual 
worship ;  it  may  not  be  useless  to  sum  up  these  hints  in  a 
few  practical  rules  applicable  to  prayer  in  general.  Only 
let  the  reader  again  remember,  what  we  are  apt  perpetual- 
ly to  forget,  but  what  should  both  humble,  direct,  and  com- 
fort us,  that  no  knowledge  of  rules  is  of  itself  sufficient  to 
enable  us  to  pray ;  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  alone  impressing 
the  rule  on  the  heart,  that  can  enable  us  rightly  to  worship 
God. 

"  To  maintain  a  devotional  spirit,  two  things,"  says  Mrs. 
More,  "  are  especially  necessary :  habitually  to  cultivate 
the  disposition,  and  habitually  to  avoid  whatever  is  unfa- 
vorable to  it."  We  will  first  point  out  some  things  which 
hinder  your  attaining  the  spirit  of  devotion,  and  then  add 
some  directions  which  may  help  you  to  attain  it. 

Sect.  I. — Rules  relating  to  Hindrances  to  Prayer. 

1.  Renounce  all  known  sin  and  sensual  indulgence. — 
The  allowed  practice  of  any  sin  is  utterly  inconsistent 
with  devotional  feelings.  If  you  live  in  habitual  sin,  or  in 
the  indulgence  of  evil  tempers,  or  if  any  "  corrupt  commu- 

*  Ps.  xlii.  1,  2. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  161 

nication  proceed  out  of  your  mouth,"  you  cannot  at  the 
same  time  enjoy  communion  witli  God.  1  John  i.  6 ;  iii. 
21 — 23.  His  Spirit  is  grieved,  and  withdraws  its  influence. 
•'  Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord,  and  who  shall 
stand  in  his  holy  place  ]  He  that  hath  clean  hands  and  a 
pure  heart."*  Any  sin  indulged,  raises  those  fears,  doubts, 
disorders,  and  tumults  in  the  mind,  which  make  it  averse 
to,  and  incapable  of,  fervent  affectionate  prayer.  An  in- 
stance or  two  may  confirm  this  remark.  St.  Paul  exhorts 
us  to  "  pray  everywhere,  lifting  up  holy  hands,  without 
wrath  or  doubting."  I  am  sure,  if  you  have  any  Christian 
experience,  you  know  that  it  is  necessary,  that  "  all  bit- 
terness, and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor,  and  evil  speak- 
ing, be  put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice,"  if  you  would 
gain  the  spirit  of  prayer.  An  unforgiving  temper,  also, 
not  only  hinders  the  spirit  of  devotion,  but  also  prevents 
the  acceptance  of  your  petitions.  Our  Lord  says,  "  Go  thy 
way,  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and 
offer  thy  gift."t  Bishop  Taylor,  in  a  beautiful  figure,  shows 
the  evil  effects  of  anger  as  an  impediment  to  devotion. 
"  Anger  is  a  perfect  alienation  of  the  mind  from  prayer,  di- 
rectly contrary  to  that  disposition  which  makes  our  pray- 
ers acceptable  to  God.  Thus  the  lark,  rising  from  his  bed 
of  grass,  soars  upward,  singing  as  he  rises,  but  the  poor 
bird  is  beaten  back  by  the  sudden  blast  of  an  eastern  wind, 
and  his  motion  made  irregular  and  inconstant,  descending 
more  at  every  breath  of  the  tempest,  than  it  can  recover 
by  the  libra tion  of  its  wings,  till  the  little  creature  is  forced 
to  sit  down,  and  pant,  and  stay  till  the  storm  is  over,  and 
then  it  makes  a  more  prosperous  flight,  and  rises  still,  and 
sings,  as  if  it  had  learned  music  and  motion  from  an  angel." 
Again ;  immoderate,  or  unnecessary  indulgence  of  ease, 
appetite,  sleep,  &c.  are  serious  obstacles  to  the  attaining  a 
devotional  spirit.  The  man  of  self-denial  will,  like  Daniel, 
(ch.  i.  12.)  be  the  man  of  prayer.  Chsfp.  vi.  10,  "  Take 
heed  to  yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your  hearts  be  over- 
charged with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness,  and  the  cares  of 
this  life,"  is  a  solemn  admonition  of  the  Lord  before  he 
gave  the  charge,  "  Watch  ye,  therefore,  and  pray  always." 
Our  sins  are  one  great  reason  why  our  prayers  are  not 
oflener  heard.     "  When  you  spread  forth  your  hands,  I 

*  Ps.  xxiv.  3,  4.  Q  2  t  Matt.  v.  24. 


162  A    TREATISE   OX    PRAYER. 

will  hide  mine  eyes  from  you  ;  yea,  when  you  make  many 
prayers  I  will  not  hear ;  your  hands  are  full  of  blood."  Re- 
member St.  John's  remark :  "  If  our  heart  condemn  us  not, 
then  have  we  confidence  toward  God ;  and  whatsoever  we 
ask  we  receive  of  him,  because  we  keep  his  command- 
ments, and  do  those  thing's  that  are  pleasing  in  his  sight" 
See  farther  passages — Ps.  iv.  3 ;  xxvi.  6 ;  xxxiv.  15,  17 
Prov.  viii.  32;  James  v.  16;  John  ix.  31.  Yet  remember, 
the  meaning  of  these  passages  is  not  that  we  must  not  pray 
if  we  have  committed  actual  sin ;  for  then  none  would 
pray ;  but  that  we  are  not  to  go  to  our  prayers  with  the 
love  of  sin,  or  with  a  purpose  to  go  on  .^inning  still.  See 
page  25.* 

2.  Be  not  conformed  to  the  toorld. — We  hope  that  the 
happy  day  is  coming  on  when  "  all  the  ends  of  the  earth 
shall  remember  and  turn  unto  the  Lord,  and  all  the  km- 
dreds  of  the  nations  shall  worship  before  him ;"  but,  at 
present,  who  can  go  much  into  the  world,  unless  his  duties 
call  him  there,  without  suffering  from  it  I  For  a  Christian 
to  enter  into  worldly  company  and  join  in  vain  amusements, 
is,  as  if  a  man  were  to  put  a  burning  torch  into  water :  the 
flame  of  devotion  will  be,  must  be,  extinguished.  Those 
who  go  into  a  large  manufactory,  filled  with  people  and 
machines,  find  it  difficult,  when  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
scene,  to  converse  with  each  other ;  but  those  who  go 
much  into  the  bustle  of  company,  find  it  still  more  difficult 
to  hold  converse  with  God.  It  is  only  when  compelled  to 
be  there  in  the  way  of  duty,  and  not  otherwise,  that  they 
may  expect,  that,  as  his  special  grace  preserved  Daniel  in 
the  spirit  of  prayer,  even  in  Babylon,  so  it  will  preserve 
them.  Being  immoderately  engaged  in  worldly  business, 
is  another  hindrance,  filling  a  man  with  the  cares  of  this 

♦SirMaUhew  Hale,  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Knowledge  of  God, 
well  remarks — "  A  frequent,  solemn,  and  serious  use  of  the  duty  of 
prayer,  interrupts  a  custom  of  sin,  by  degrees  weakens  the  old  man, 
and  will  in  time  make  a  strangeness  between  our  lusts  and  our  souls. 
And  let  a  man  be  sure  of  these  (vdo  truiha:  that  as  he  that  comes 
upon  his  knees  with  a  secret  purpose  to  hold  confederacy  with  any 
ein,  he  shall  be  the  worse,  the  more  hardened,  and  the  more  neg- 
lected by  that  God  which  searches  the  heart;  so  whosoever  he  be 
that  comes  to  his  Maker  in  the  integrity  of  his  heart,  though  sin  ad- 
heres as  close  to  that  heart  of  his,  as  his  skin  does  to  his  flesh,  shall 
find  that  employment  will  make  those  lusts  that  were  most  dear  to 
him,  by  degrees  to  become  strange  and  loose  to  his  soul." 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  163 

life.  He  whose  whole  time  is  incessantly  occupied  in 
worldly  affairs,  finds  his  heart  entirely  distracted,  and  ut- 
terly unfitted  for  holy  and  retired  duties.  The  Apostle 
says,  "  Be  careful  for  nothing ;"  and  then  adds,  "  but  in 
every  thing,  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiving, 
let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God."  O  believe 
me,  it  is  far  better  to  have  a  small  income,  with  a  quiet 
conscience  and  a  devout  heart,  than  the  largest  income 
without  God's  blessing. 

3.  Resist  the  temptations  of  Satan. — There  is  a  power- 
ful spiritual  adversary  of  man,  "  who  goeth  about  as  a  roar- 
ing lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  Here  is  your 
great  enemy.  Other  things  are  but  his  engines.  His  ob- 
ject in  other  things  is  to  keep  you  from,  or  hinder  you  in 
prayer.  "  Be  not  ignorant  of  his  devices."  He  will  sug- 
gest that  prayer  is  a  dull  and  gloomy  service,  or  useless 
and  vain.  If  these  do  not  succeed,  he  will  suggest  the 
putting  off  tlie  duty  to  another  opportunity,  on  account  of 
some  other  employment:  some  favorite  book  to  be  read, 
some  letter  perhaps  to  be  written,  or  some  other  business 
which  he  will  propose  to  your  mind,  important  perhaps  in 
itself,  but  "  not  ^ood  for  this  time."  Consider  every  thing 
which  would  tempt  you  to  neglect  prayer,  in  its  appointed 
season,  whether  it  be  any  of  those  objections  which  have 
been  answered  already,  (see  p.  22,  &c.)  or  the  fear  of  man's 
ridicule,  or  love  of  ease,  or  any  other  cause,  as  a  mere 
temptation,  and  "resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from 
you."  This  evil  spirit  will  be  "  cjist  out  by  prayer  and  fast- 
ing."* Does  he  present  to  you  various  difficulties?  Re- 
member, that  nothing  excellent  is  obtained  without  effort 
and  difficulty.  Remember,  men  pursue  human  schemes  of 
great  difficulty,  amidst  every  opposition;  they  go  through 
the  most  arduous  enterprises,  without  any  certainty  of  suc- 
cess, or  any  promise  of  Divine  help.  In  seeking  com- 
munion with  God,  you  are  sure  to  succeed,  and  have  his 
faithful  promise  that  he  will  help  you.  Will  )''ou  not  be 
condemned  by  the  conduct  of  men  in  general,  respecting 
the  things  of  this  world,  if  difficulties  should  deter  you 
from  endeavoring  to  obtain  a  good  which,  as  a  Christian, 
you  must  acknowledge  to  be  the  greatest  and  most  profitable 
that  can  be  gained  in  the  present  life  I  Difiiculties  give 

*  Matt.  xvii.  21. 


104  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

way  to  real  cfForts.  "  Prayor  is  in  its  nature  a  kind  of 
wrcstlinfr  and  strivin/]^  for  a  vict(;ry,  which  presupp(Jsos  an 
opposition."  'J'ijo  opj)osition  of  Satan  will  be  vanquiahcd 
by  a  steady  resistance  in  the  strenf^th  of  your  Savior, 

4.  Beware  of  a  se //-righteous  spirit,  or  any  thini^  like 
fancyinjr,  because  you  have  said  your  prayers,  and  espc- 
fialJy,  if  you  have  prayed  with  more  than  ordinary  freedom 
and  affection,  tliat  therefore  you  deserve  any  tliini^'  from 
Ciod,  or  are  holy  and  rii^rhteous  in  his  si^ht.  Sucli  a  view 
of  yourself,  j)rovokes  (lod  to  withdraw  his  Spirit,  and  leaves 
you  to  your  own  natural  barrenness  and  dryness.  Nay,  if 
you  trust  in  your  prayers,  and  put  them  in  the  place  of 
your  Savior,  tliey  will  as  much  ruin  your  immortal  s(hi1,  as 
the  (frossest  sins.  This  is  a  very  common  tcmf)tation,  of 
which  we  arc  all  in  dan^^er.  Even  the  excellent  Milner 
describes  himself  as  naturally  always  settin*;  up  for  him- 
self, always  aimin^jc  at  independence,  and  that  it  was  with 
the  utmost  difficulty  he  was  brou«:ht  to  feel  what  a  poor, 
hinful  creature  he  was  by  nature.  This  spirit  of  self-righte- 
ousness manifests  itself  in  com|)lacency  and  self-satisfaction 
when  any  thin^  rif^ht  has  been  done,  and  in  overwhelming 
desj)on(i;;ncy  and  depression  afler  (jur  sins,  J'ut  we  should 
learn  to  rejoice  in  Ciirist  alone  when  most  lively  in  the 
v/ay  of  duty,  and  to  trust  in  him  alone  when  most  low. 
Nothing  is  more  natural  to  us,  than,  when  we  liave  been 
f.Teatly  assisted,  and  our  heart  softened,  and  our  mind  cn- 
lart^ed  in  prayer,  to  flatter  ourselves,  a"nd  trust  in  our  per- 
formance. But  as  in  the  flood,  neither  the  tallest  tree,  nor 
the  hiirhest  mountain  saved  any  of  t)ic  ungodly  world  who 
were  shut  out  of  the  ark,  the  only  refuge;  so  Jesus  Christ 
ftlone  can  save  us.  The  directions  of  the  pious  Anselm 
to  the  sick  man,  are  in  point  here.  "  See,  then,"  he  says 
to  him,  "while  life  remains  in  thee,  that  thou  repose  thy 
confidence  only  in  the  death  of  (Jhrist, — trust  in  nothing 
else;  commit  thyself  wholly  to  his  death — cover  thyself 
with  this  alone.  And  if  the  ],ord  will  judge  the(;,  say, 
'  Lord,  I  cast  the  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  between 
rnyself  and  thy  judgment,  otherwise  I  will  not  engage  in 
judgment  with  thee.'  And  if  he  shall  say  unto  thee,  'Thou 
art  a  sinner!'  say,  'I  place  the  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  betwe«m  me  and  my  sin.'  And  if  he  shall  say,  '  Thou 
hast  des(!rved  damnation!'  say,  '  J.ord,  I  cast  the  death  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  between  me  and  my  evil  deserts. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  165 

and  T  offer  his  merits  for  tliat  merit  which  I  ouolit  to  liavc 
had,  and  have  not."  One  ijood  man  said,  "•  I  am  more  afraid 
of  my  duties  than  of  my  sins,  for  my  duties  make  me  ollen 
proud,  but  my  sins  make  me  always  humble."  Though  an 
expression  of  this  kind  may  be  somewhat  unguarded,  it 
may  show  us,  in  a  striking  way,  a  danger  which  many 
Ciiristians  hardly  even  suspect.  O  rest  not,  then,  in  any 
duties ;  {)ut  no  conhdtMice  at  all  in  them  as  grounds  of 
salvation;  "count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ,"  and  rest  wholly  on  him.  Let 
prayer  be  the  way  by  which  you  gain  an  interest  in  him 
and  his  salvation,  and  not  be  a  means  of  keeping  you  from 
a  sole  trust  in  him. 

5.  (iHanl  aaninst  improper  inotivcs  and  ends  /»  your 
prayers. — Sinful  motives  arc  apt  perpetually  to  mingle 
with  antl  defde  all  we  do.  Let  not  the  procuring  an  es- 
teem tor  sanctity,  conscientiousness,  and  spirituality,  for 
great  parts  or  gitls,  for  readiness  and  copiousness  of  hiven- 
tion,  memory,  and  Judgment,  be  your  motives  to  pray.  One 
prayer  is  worth  ten  thousand  i'ww  thoughts.  Let  not  your 
ilesign  be  to  show  that  you  can  pray  nmch,  and  are  well 
furnished  with  matter;  nor  yet  to  manifest  that  you  are 
good  church-goers,  never  miss  prayers,  and  can  pray  with 
an  acceptable  or  pleasing  delivery  of  voice.  Let  not  the 
vain-glory  of  j)raying  long,  and  frequently,  in  every  place, 
"  as  the  hypocrites  standing  in  the  synagogues,  and  in  the 
corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  bo  seen  of  men,"* 
whom  our  Lord  reproved,  let  not  this  be  the  end  for  which 
you  pray.  Rather  pray,  desiring  thereby  to  be  disposed 
and  enabled  to  serve  (lod  and  the  world,  to  live  profitably 
and  comtortabl;,-,  and  to  be  prepared  and  made  meet  for  an 
inmiortal  and  everlasting  reward.  And  remember,  that  tlie 
glory  of  God  should  be  the  ultimate  end  at  which  you  aim 
in  ail  your  prayers.  Our  design  in  asking  any  thing  from 
CuhI  should  be  to  r(Muler  it  again  to  him  :  and  while  we  y>xo- 
pose  this  to  ourselves,  we  are  the  more  likely  to  obtain  our 
requestt^.  It  has  been  said,  "  Wicked  and  unthankful  men 
are  but  like  vapors  and  exhalations  drawn  up  out  o^  tiie 
earth,  which  do  but  eclipse  the  sun  that  raises  them  ;  so  it 
is  when  Cod  raises  up  these  men  by  his  bounty  and  good- 
ness, who  by  tlieir  wickedness  and   ingratitude  stain  and 

*  Matt  vi.  5. 


166  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

eclipse  his  glory  in  the  wo^-ld.  Whereas  godly  men  aro 
like  rivers,  which,  as  they  receive  all  their  streams  from 
the  sea,  so  they  return  all  again  into  the  sea:  so,  whatever 
truly  devout  persons  receive  from  God,  they  improve  all 
for,  and  return  all  again  unto  him."  And  therefore  they 
may  well  hope  to  speed,  who  beg  mercies  at  the  hand  of 
God,  that  they  may  return  all  again  to  his  glory. 

6.  Take  heed  of  spiritual  pride. — Let  us  remember, 
"God  hath  respect  to  the  lowly,  but  the  proud  he  laioweth 
afar  off."*  One  reason  why  we  do  not  receive  more  help 
from  God,  may  be  this, — we  could  not  have  it  witliout 
danger  to  our  souls.  It  is  justly  observed,  "When  the 
heart  is  enlarged  in  prayer,  and  good  expressions  come  with 
great  fluency  from  the  lips,  how  apt  is  he  that  prays  to 
have  high  conceits  of  himself  and  of  his  performances ! 
His  mind  is  prone  to  wander,  and  think  what  others  think 
of  him,  and  is  sinfully  pleased  in  the  imagination,  that  they 
are  admiring  him.  Such  thoughts  as  these — How  well  do 
I  pray !  How  broken  for  sin  do  I  appear !  How  fervent  in 
spirit  do  I  seem !  What  credit  and  applause  shall  I  get  by 
this  performance !  What  an  excellent  saint  shall  I  be  ac- 
counted !  Such  thoughts  are  apt  to  hover  about  an  enlarged 
heart :  but  if  they  are  not  kept  out  with  an  utter  detesta- 
tion of  them,  the  heart  will  be  distracted  with  pride,  how 
heavenly  soever  are  the  expressions  of  the  mouth."!  Fre- 
quently contemplate  the  glorious  perfections  of  Jehovah. 
Those  who  see  and  know  most  of  him  are  most  humbled  be- 
fore him.  The  more  we  see  of  his  glory,  the  more  we  shall 
discover  of  our  own  insignificance.  It  is  only  in  propor- 
tion as  we  are  far  from  God  that  we  are  pleased  with  our- 
selves. We  want  more  Christian  simplicity  and  humility ; 
a  more  entire  sense  of  our  own  nothingness,  of  our  empti- 
ness of  all  good ;  and  then  we  should  neither  fancy  our- 
selves to  be  any  thing,  nor  fancy  that  we  are  more  devout 
than  others.  "  If  a  man  thinketh  himself  to  be  something 
when  he  is  nothing,  he  deceiveth  himself"  A  right  know- 
ledge of  the  true  character  of  your  best  prayers,  will  rather 
lead  you  to  the  deepest  humility,  and  will  incline  you  to 
look  more  simply  for  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  and  to  the 
intercession  of  Christ. 

7.  Neglect  not  the  holy  Scriptures.  If  you  disregard  the 

*  Ps.  cxxxviii.  6.  t  Vincent  on  Distractions. 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  l'o7 

word  of  God  when  he  speaks,  you  cannot  expect  that  he 
should  attend  to  you  when  you  are  speaking  to  him.  Re- 
member what  is  said ;  "  He  that  turneth  away  his  ear  from 
hearing-  the  law,  even  his  prayer  shall  be  abomination."  Or 
again ;  "  Because  I  have  called  and  ye  refused — ye  have  set 
at  naught  all  my  counsel — they  shall  call  upon  me,  but  I 
will  not  answer ;  they  shall  geek  me  early,  but  they  shall 
not  find  me."*  Is  not  neglect  of  the  Scriptures  one  great 
reason  of  the  Christian's  barrenness  in  devotion  ]  The  word 
of  God  is  a  rich  mine  of  devotional  feeling  and  expression. 
Become,  then,  more  acquainted  with  it.  They  cannot  be 
devout  who  are  ignorant  of  the  state  of  their  own  souls, 
and  of  the  truths  of  the  Bible.  It  is  not  want  of  ability  to 
express  ourselves,  but  want  of  feeling,  that  is  the  greatest 
difficulty  to  be  overcome  :  and  while  you  are  unacquainted 
with  those  truths  of  the  word  of  God,  which  would  discover 
to  you  your  own  character  and  state :  while  you  know  not 
the  perfections  of  God,  his  holy  precepts,  and  his  pre- 
cious promises,  and  the  prospects  which  his  word  sets  be- 
fore you  respecting  another  state,  how  can  you  feel  aright 
on  these  subjects?  You  necessarily  want  the  great  food  of 
prayer.  Those  who  have  but  poor  abilities,  have  often  been 
enabled,  by  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  most  impressively 
to  pray  to  God.  Were  our  minds  more  imbued  with  the 
sacred  truths  of  the  Bible,  we  should  never  be  in  want  of 
matter  for  confession,  petition,  intercession,  and  praise.  All 
its  prohibitions  and  threatenings  would  give  you  expres- 
sions of  confession;  all  its  precepts,  of  petition  ;  and  all  its 
promises,  of  thanksgiving.  A  right  knowledge  of  the  Bible 
is  one  of  the  best  helps  of  devotion.  It  would  be  well 
when  you  read  that  sacred  book,  to  extract  any  passage  af- 
fecting your  mind  for  prayer.  Study  the  Pslams  of  David 
in  this  view.  The  primitive  Christians  used  to  learn  the 
whole  book  by  heart,  and  thus  have  prayers  ready  for  every 
occasion.  Would  not  this  be  a  profitable  exercise  for  the 
young  1  And  the  Bible  is  not  only  useful  as  furnishing  mat- 
ter for  your  prayers,  but  when  read  in  faith  and  humility, 
it  is  wonderfully  calculated  to  excite  devotional  feelings, 
and  to  quicken  our  hearts  in  calling  on  God.  All  devout 
persons  have,  like  David,  loved  the  law  of  the  Lord.f 

*  Prov.  i.  24—28. 

t  Gray,  a  writer  who  has  already  been  quoted,  speaks  of  the  fbl- 


1 08  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.- 

The  hindrances  wliich  have  been  mentioned  may  perhaps 
solve  that  which  has  often  been  a  difficulty  in  the  minds  of 
persons  who  have  seen  no  ^ood  effect  produced  by  the  pray- 
ers of  some  professors.  The  duty  of  prayer  may  be  dis- 
charged so  erroneously  and  carelessly,  with  such  a  mixture 
of  sin,  and  impure  motives ;  men's  affections  may  still  be 
po  engaged  in  the  world,  that  there  is  little  or  no  real  de- 
sire of  heart,  little  or  no  true  prayer.  When  they  arise 
from  their  knees,  their  petitions  are  quite  forg-otten :  the 
occupations  of  the  world  come  on ;  and  if  any  (rood  affec- 
tions or  desires  have  been  excited,  they  are  choked  by  the 
cares  of  this  life.  Hende  we  may  see  those,  who  neolect 
not  stated  seasons  of  prayer,  and  give  much  time  to  it,  still 
yielding  like  others  to  bad  tempers:  and  though  probably 
some  general  good  may  arise  from  their  prayers,  yet  there 
is  little  perceptible  difference  between  them  and  those  who 
pray  not  at  all.  This  shows  the  necessity  of  praying  in  a 
right  spirit,  in  order  to  gain  the  advantage  promised  to  thia 
great  duty. 

Sect.  IL — Rules  to  assist  in  attaining  the   Spirit  of 
Devotion. 

1.  Look  for  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Undoubtedly  the 
great  helper  of  the  soul,  in  devotional  exercise,  is  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Without  his  aid  we  cannot  at  all  pray  aright  or  ac- 
ceptably to  God.  Be  not  content,  then,  unless  you  obtain 
this  assistance.  Be  not  content  with  a  formal  circle  of  du- 
ties, Vv'ithout  the  life,  pleasure,  and  power  of  religion.  You 
ought  not  to  be  satisfied  without  receiving  the  promises, 
and  *'  praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost. ""^  He  helpeth  the  infirmi- 
ties of  Christ's  people.  He  is  the  "  Spirit  of  adoption,'* 
enabling  them  to  cry,  "  Abba,  Father ;"  and  therefore  if  you 
are  a  true  disciple  of  Christ,  you  ought  to  expect  and  ob- 
tain his  help.     Think  that  prayer  very  defective  in  which 

lowing  impediments  to  prayer. — "  Our  low  design.  We  pray  in  se- 
cret that  we  may  be  more  fitted  to  pray  abroad.  We  aim  at  honor  to 
ourselves,  not  glory  to  God. — Our  formality,  or  prayer  without  faith 
and  love. — Our  neglect  of  seeking  the  Spirit. — Our  not  employing 
Jesus  as  a  mediator. — Our  earthly,  worldly  minds. — Our  resisting  and 

frieving  the  Spirit  in  our  ordinary  walks. — Our  pride  of  heart."  The 
nowledge  of  these  difficulties  and  impediments  ia  one  step  Uv 
wards  overcoming  thera. 
*  Jude  30. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  16C 

your  mind  is  not  sensible  of  the  divine  presence,  in  which 
your  heavenly  Father  does  not  manifest  his  presence  by  im- 
parting to  you  some  feelings  of  sorrow  for  sin,  some  holy 
thirstings  and  longings  after  the  grace  and  blessings  of  God, 
some  ardent  desires  after  holiness  and  conformity  to  his 
will ;  which  feelings  and  desires  are  manifestly  the  fruit  of 
his  Spirit.  Every  man  is  more  or  less  with  his  Lord  in  pray- 
er, as  he  is  more  or  less  under  the  teachings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  "  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty."* 
Through  this  divine  influence  hindrances  are  removed,  and 
all  those  graces  imparted,  which  are  required  in  acceptable 
prayer.  He  takes  of  the  things  of  Christ,  and  shows  them 
to  us,  and  leads  us  by  him  to  the  Father.f  Ever  remem- 
ber, then,  that  the  "preparation  of  the  heart  in  man  is 
from  the  Lord."|  " '  The  Spirit  of  grace  and  supplication' 
is  like  a  quickening  spirit,  entering  into  a  dead  body,  tliat 
insinuates  life  and  activity  into  all  the  parts,  conveys  a 
warmth  into  every  limb,  and  gives  a  freshness  and  beauty 
to  the  whole ;  which,  whatever  other  perfections  it  may 
have,  is,  without  this,  but  a  languid,  cold,  dead,  or  lifeless 
thing."  Prayer,  then,  for  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  the 
best  preparation  for  prayer.  Plead  the  promise,  "  Thou  wilt 
prepare  their  heart,  thou  wilt  cause  thine  ear  to  hear."$ 
Urge  the  entreaty,  "  Quicken  us,  and  we  will  call  upon 
thy  name." II 

2.  Trust  only  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  To  pray  in 
the  name  of  Christ,  is  rightly  to  view  and  depend  on  his 
intercession,  his  atonement,  his  purchase,  and  his  strength. 
This  is  the  only  prevailing  plea.  Be  persuaded  of  your  own 
sinftilness  and  guilt.  Mention  none  other  name,  but  the 
name  of  Jesus ;  none  other  merits  but  the  merits  of  Jesus, 
when  you  approach  unto  God.  Have  a  constant  eye  to  his 
intercession,  saying  with  Jeremiah,  "  O  Lord,  though  our 
iniquities  testify  against  us,  do  thou  it  for  thy  name's 
sake." IT  The  assurance  that  you  have  such  a  Hi^h  Priest, 
should  exceedingly  encourage  you  in  approaching  to,  in 
continuing  at,  and  retiring  from,  the  throne  of  grace.  All 
your  prayers  are  defective  and  defiled ;  but  Jesus  offering 
up  even  such  prayers,  (as  was  shown  at  large  in  the  third 

*  2  Cor.  iii.  17.  t  Eph.  ii.  18. 

tProv.  xvi.  1.  $Ps.i.  17. 

II  ft.  Ixxx.  18.  ir  Jer.  liv.  7.  and  Ps.  xxv.  11. 


170  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

chapter,)  through  liis  intercession,  they  become  effectual ; 
while  the  most  fervent  prayer  you  ever  made,  if  it  fostered 
a  self-righteous  spirit,  and  vi^as  trusted  in,  instead  of  Christ, 
will  only  add  to  your  guilt  and  increase  your  condemnation. 
Regard  his  atonement.  He  has  made  peace  by  the  blood  of 
his  cross ;  and  "  God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world 
unto  himself"  Here  then  is  a  sufficient  ground  of  confi- 
dence in  your  approaches  to  God.  Consider  his  purchase. 
All  the  blessings  that  3'Ou  need,  and  for  which  you  ask, 
were  bought  by  his  blood,  and  are  laid  up  ready  for  you,  to 
be  received  on  asking.  Heaven  itself  is  a  purchased  posses- 
sion.* Depend  on  his  strength.  Without  Christ  "you  can 
do  nothing ;"  but  you  may  say,  "  I  can  do  all  through  Christ 
strengtliening  me."  You  can  only  get  near  to  God  in  and  by 
Christ  Jesus.  Let  this  name  of  Christ  encourage  you  to  be- 
gin your  prayer,  notwithstanding  all  your  sins ;  and  quiet 
your  mind  after  your  prayer,  notwithstanding  all  your  de- 
fects. "  Coming  to  the  throne  of  grace  in  Christ's  name," 
says  Trail,  "  is  another  thing  than  men  commonly  take  it 
to  be.  Some  think  it  is  only  to  say  in  their  prayers,  '  for 
Christ's  sake.'  To  ask  in  His  name  is  a  higher  business 
than  to  be  reached  by  unbelievers,  and  men  devoid  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  If  "no  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord, 
but  by  the  Holy  Ghost -,"1  "how  shall  men  call  on  him  in 
whom  they  have  not  believed  1"  But  can  you  take  the 
searcher  of  hearts  to  witness,  that  you  build  all  your  hopes 
of  acceptance  at  the  throne  of  grace  in  the  name  and  me- 
diation of  Jesus  1  Can  you  say,  1  have  no  name  to  come  to 
God  in,  but  Christ's  ?  since  all  that  came  in  his  name  were 
welcome,  I  will  come  also:  having  no  plea  but  Christ's 
name,  no  covering  but  his  robe  of  righteousness — I  will 
expect  answers  of  peace  and  acceptance,  only  in  that  bless- 
ed beloved.  As  much  as  Christ  is  out  of  your  minds  in 
praying,  so  much  are  you  out  in  praying,  and  your  praying 
out  of  that  it  ought  to  be.  That  which  we  beg  is  out  of 
Christ's  store.  In  whose  name  do  we  beg  it,  but  in  his  1 
for  whose  sake,  but  for  his?  Out  of  whose  hands  do  we 
receive  what  we  ask  and  get,  but  out  of  his  ?  It  is  marvel- 
lous that  people  should  pretend  to  prayer,  and  think  they 
pray,  who  forget  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  all  in  all,  in  all  right 
prayer." 

♦Eph.  i.  14,  tlCor.  xii.3. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  171 

3.  Be  watchful.  "Watch  unto  prayer."  It  is  observable 
how  frequently  watchfulness  and  prayer  are  joined  together 
by  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles.  Jesus  Christ  says,  "  Watch 
ye,  therefore,  and  pray  always,  that  ye  may  be  accounted 
worthy  to  escape."*  St.  Paul  says,  "  Continue  in  prayer, 
and  watch  in  the  same,"t  and  St.  Peter,  after  saying,  "  the 
end  of  all  things  is  at  hand,"  exhorts  them,  "  Be  ye  there- 
fore sober,  and  watch  unto  prayer.":j: 

You  should  vJdlch.  for  favorable  opportunities  cf  prayer. 
In  some  happy  moments,  when  circumstances  concur  to 
call  us  to  this  duty,  a  more  than  ordinary  divine  influence 
seems  to  be  granted  to  the  Christian,  disposing  and  inclin- 
ing his  heart  to  pray,  and  wonderfully  assisting  him  with 
suitable  thoughts  and  desires.  There  is  a  full  breeze,  as  it 
were,  of  spiritual  aid  vouchsafed.  In  this  case,  we  should 
spread  every  sail,  seize  the  happy  opportunity,  "  be  instant 
in  prayer,"  and  make  large  advances  towards  the  haven 
where  we  would  be. 

Watch  against  those  hindrances  which  have  already  been 
mentioned,  and  need  not  be  repeated.  Your  hearts  are  evil, 
watch  over  them  at  all  times.  This  is  needful  to  keep  them 
in  a  proper  state  for  prayer.  Worldly-mindedness,  or  the 
indulgence  of  any  sin  in  the  heart,  gradually  unfits  us  for 
approaching  Him,  who  "  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold 
iniquity.  If  I  regard  iniquity  in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will 
not  hear  me."^ 

Watch  also /or  matter  for  prayer.  Maintain  a  temper 
always  ready  to  converse  with  God.  "  A  man  should  be 
careful,"  says  Bishop  Wilkins,  "  to  keep  a  register  of  the 
most  remarkable  passages  of  his  life,  as  to  God's  dealings 
with  him,  and  his  conduct  towards  God ;  his  sins  and  de- 
fects ;  his  sufferings  and  wants ;  his  mercies  and  enjoy- 
ments. A  commonplace-book  of  this  kind,  arranged  under 
the  various  heads  of  prayer,  would  be  of  great  use." 

Watch  also  over  your  hearts  in  prayer.  If  there  be 
one  time  more  than  another,  when  the  duty,  "  keep  thy 
heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of 
life,"  is  incumbent  on  us,  it  is  in  the  time  of  intercourse 
with  the  Majesty  of  Heaven.  We  should  then  specially 
take  heed  of  uttering  the  words  of  penitence,  faith,  hope, 

*  I-uke  xxi.  36.  t  Col.  iv.  2. 

tlPet.iv.7.  $Ps.lx\i.  18. 


172  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

and  love,  without  a  penitent,  believing,  hoping,  and  loving 
state  of  mind. 

Lastly,  watch  for  answers  to  your  prayers.  Take  notice 
low  they  prosper,  and  whether  you  really  gain  what  you 
isk.  It  has  already  been  observed,  how  much  comfort  we 
lose  by  negligence  in  this  respect.  "  I  know,"  said  one, 
"  that  the  Bible  is  true,  because  I  pray  to  God  through 
Christ,  and  he  hears  me.  I  know  also  that  God  regards 
me,  and  loves  me,  because  he  gives  me  those  very  blessings 
which  I  ask  at  his  hand."  David  found  this  a  great  means 
of  increasing  his  love  to  God,  and  his  spirit  of  prayer  also. 
*'  I  love  the  Lord,  because  he  hath  heard  my  voice  and 
my  supplication.  Because  he  hath  inclined  his  ear  unto 
me,  therefore  will  I  call  upon  him  as  long  as  I  live."* 
In  the  morning  you  prayed  for  such  and  such  blessings, 
to  be  enjoyed  in  the  day ;  at  night,  then,  ask  yourself. 
Did  I  gain  these  blessings?  If  so,  "  Praise  the  Lord:"  if 
not,  you  did  not  ask  in  faith,  or  according  to  the  will  of 
God ;  or  the  Lord  delays  an  answer  to  try  your  faith.  Here 
are  reasons  for  humiliation,  confession,  and  persevering 
prayer. 

All  this  watchfulness  requires  great  patience  and  perse- 
verance. It  is  easy  to  go  through  the  round  of  outward 
Torms  and  duties,  but  it  is  another  thing  to  be  "  pray- 
ing always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  spirit, 
and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance."  Hence, 
though  the  devout  man  be  truly  blessed,  he  is  an  uncommon 
character. 

4.  Meditate  before  you  pray. — This  is  a  most  important 
part  of  preparation  for  prayer.  We  do  not  reflect  on  our 
state,  we  do  not  look  within  beforehand,  and  therefore  we 
have  so  little  fervency,  or  divine  unction  in  our  prayers. 
"  While  I  was  musing,  the  fire  burned ;  then  spake  I  with 
my  tongue."  We  are  apt  to  think  time  lost  which  is  not 
spent  in  sensible  and  active  duty;  but  devout  thoughtful- 
ness  and  reflection  redeem  time  for  the  most  valuable  end. 
Previous  to  private  prayer,  endeavor  to  compose  your 
thoughts,  to  attain  a  settled,  calm,  and  attentive  mind. 
Ask  yourself,  Why  do  I  retire  ]  what  is  my  design  ?  Ex- 
amine yourself,  and  note  down  all  that  occurs  in  your  mind 
as  proper  or  advantageous  to  be  said  under  each  head  of 

*  Ps.  cxvi.  1,  2.  . 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  173 

prayer.  Self-examination  should  precede  prayer.  Con- 
Kider  beforehand  the  particular  thing's  which  you  wish  to 
ask  of  God,  so  that  you  may  ask  freely,  in  order,  and  with 
method,  those  things  which  you  need.  And  while  approach- 
ing the  house  of  the  Lord  ibr  public  worship,  it  is  advan- 
tageous to  meditate  on  the  great  work  in  which  you  are 
about  to  be  engaged.  The  son  of  Sirach  says,  "  before 
thou  prayest,  prepare  thyself;  and  be  not  as  one  that 
tempts  God."  The  musician  sees  that  his  instrument  is  in 
tune  before  he  begins  to  play  on  it ;  and  we  should  surely 
prepare  our  minds  for  prayer  and  praise.  "  Let  your  pray- 
er," says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Adam,  "  be  short,  and  think  a  long 
time  before  you  begin,  udiat  you  are  going  to  say,  and 
what  you  mean  by  it ;  that  is,  to  speak  plainly,  whether 
you  would  be  taken  at  your  word,  and  put  to  the  pain  of 
having  your  prayers  answered."  "  He  who  would  pray," 
says  Bishop  Home,  "  must  first  retire.  Meditation,  which 
is  the  mother  of  Devotion,  is  the  daughter  of  Retirement 
They  who  do  not  meditate,  cannot  pray ;  they  who  do  not 
retire,  can  do  neither,"  Profitable  subjects  of  meditation 
abound.  Consider  the  promises  of  God  made  to  prayer ; 
the  character  of  Him  you  approach ;  and  your  own  sinful- 
ness. In  the  morning  call  to  mind  the  duties  which  are 
before  you  in  the  approaching  day,  and  ask  for  grace  to  fulfil 
them.  In  the  evening,  think  on  all  tliat  has  occurred  in 
the  past  day,  and  tlius  you  will  be  better  able  to  confess 
your  sins,  and  to  bless  God  for  his  mercies.  And  continue 
in  meditation,  says  Bishop  Taylor,  "  till  you  get  some  new 
arguments  against  sin,  or  some  new  encouragements  to 
virtue,  some  spiritual  strength  and  advantage,  or  some  act 
of  prayer  to  God,  or  praise  of  him."  Gerson  justly  observes, 
that  "  Meditation  is  the  nurse  of  prayer."  "My  mouth," 
says  David,  *'  shall  praise  thee  with  joyful  lips,  when  I  re- 
member thee  upon  my  bed,  and  meditate  on  thee  in  the 
night  watches."*  The  sickle  must  be  sharpened  before  we 
reap  : — let  us,  then,  by  meditation,  prepare  our  hearts  for 
eflfective  prayer. 

5.  Ask  in  faith. — The  Scriptures  insist  much  on  this : 
James  i.  6 ;  Heb.  x.  22;  Matt.  xxi.  22;  Mark  xi.  24.  All 
true  prayer  comes  from  faith,  (Rom.  x.  12.)  and  is  the  voice 
and  expression  of  faith.     You  need,  in  order  to  gain  the 

*  Ps.  Ixiii.  6. 
P2 


174  A   TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

true  spirit  of  devotion,  an  unwavering  belief"  that  God  is, 
and  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek 
him  ;"*  that  he  is  able  to  give  us  all  we  ask,  and  if  it  be 
for  our  real  good,  will  do  so.  By  faith  realize  his  presence. 
Say  with  David,  "He  is  about  my  path,  and  about  my 
bed."  Fully  believe  that  his  almighty  power  can  help  and 
save  even  in  the  uttermost  extremity,  and  that  he  is  will- 
ing to  hear  you  when  you  call  upon  him.  It  is,  in  short, 
a  true  faith  that  will  make  all  the  difference  between  a 
cold,  heartless,  unprofitable  form,  like  praying  (as  one  ex 
pressed  it  to  me)  to  nothing  but  empty  air,  and  the  real 
desire  of  the  believer,  which,  poured  out  unto  God  for 
things  according  to  his  will,  is  sure  to  succeed — because 
Christ  hath  purchased  every  blessing,  and  intercedes  for 
us ;  it  will  make  all  the  diflerence  between  a  mere  cere- 
mony and  the  soul-reviving  and  heart-cheering  presence 
of  God.  To  faith  in  the  presence  of  God,  join  an  undoubt- 
ing  confidence  in  the  faithfulness  of  his  promises.  Vincent 
says,  "  If  we  did  but  firmly  believe  that  God,  according  to 
his  covenant,  for  his  Son's  sake,  has  pardoned  sin,  and  will 
heal  our  souls  of  their  distempers,  and  will  give  grace  suffi- 
cient, and  make  us  to  grow  and  increase  with  the  increase 
of  God  ;  verily  his  promises  would  appear  to  be  real,  and 
according  to  our  faith  it  would  be  to  us."  This  confidence 
is  perfectly  consistent  with  the  deepest  humility,  and  the 
most  entire  distrust  of  ourselves.  The  larger  our  expect- 
ations are,  the  greater  sense  do  we  show  of  the  generosity 
and  bounty  of  our  unseen,  but  ever-present  and  ever-gra- 
cious Benefactor.  "  We  should  endeavor,"  says  Watts, 
"to  impress  our  minds  frequently  with  a  fresh  and  lively 
belief  of  God's  existence,  though  he  be  so  much  unknown; 
of  his  presence,  though  he  be  invisible ;  and  of  his  just 
and  merciful  regard  to  all  the  actions  of  men."  Some  have 
found  it  a  means  of  strengthening  their  faith,  to  appeal,  in 
the  midst  of  their  prayers,  to  the  attributes  of  God,  and  to 
plead  his  promises,  and  the  name  of  his  Son. 

"The  spirit  and  life  of  prayer  in  faith,"  says  Trail,  "lies 
more  in  expectation  than  in  asking.  Unwise  Christians 
let  out  the  vital  spirit  of  prayer,  when  they  let  their  ex- 
pectations languish.  When  they  set  their  face  to  pray, 
they  make  some  conscience  of  searching  out  their  wants ; 


*     eb  xi  6. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  175 

they  labor  to  improve  that  sight  to  tlie  raising  of  fervent 
desires  of  a  supply  of  them  :  if  they  yet  go  higher,  to  take 
in  a  sense  of  the  fullness  and  freeness  of  that  grace  where 
their  help  is ;  yet,  how  rarely  are  they  careful  to  raise  up 
expectations  of  that  helping  grace !  Few  can  say,  '  As 
for  rne,  I  will  call  upon  God,  and  the  Lord  shall  save  me.'* 
Our  way  is,  if  we  could  see  the  glory,  then  we  would  be- 
lieve ;  Christ's  way  is  just  the  contrary ;  we  must  first 
believe,  and  then  we  shall  see  the  glory  of  God."  John  xi. 
40.  "  It  i.s  the  very  nature  of  prayer  in  faith,"  says  Walk- 
er,! "  to  cast  all  manner  of  care  and  every  burden  on  the 
Lord  ;  guilt,  corruption,  trial,  temptation,  whatever  it  be, 
to  come  and  lay  it  ail  upon  Christ ;  and  this  with  a  certain 
confidence  in  him,  which  both  does  him  the  highest  honor, 
and  makes  him  best  pleased  with  us.  It  charges  Christ 
with  all,  and  leaves  every  thing  with  him.  It  says,  *  Lord, 
here  are  all  these  sins  that  I  have  done ;  here  are  all  these 
temptations  I  have  to  struggle  with  ;  here  are  all  these 
corruptions  to  subdue  ;  here  is  all  this  work  to  be  perform- 
ed ;  and  I  am  a  poor  helpless  thing :  behold,  I  humbly  lay 
it  all  upon  thee,  and  leave  it  all  and  every  part  with  thee. 
And  I  know  that  thou  canst,  and  thou  hast  told  me  thou 
wilt  take  care  of  the  whole.  It  is  thy  gracious  office  to 
do  so,  and  thou  delightest  to  do  it ;  Lord,  I  cast  all  my  care 
on  thee.'  There  is  no  other  boldness  in  this  than  that  to 
which  the  promises  of  God  encourage  and"  give  sanction. 
Such  is  the  very  prayer  of  faith." 

6.  Be  simple,  reverent,  and  grave. — Simplicity  in  our 
prayers  is  a  great  attainment.  Beware  of  setting  more 
value  on  ingenious  and  original  thoughts,  than  on  devout  af- 
fections, fixedness  of  mind,  and  devotedness  of  heart  One 
part  of  the  true  character  of  prayer  is,  to  express  all  our  ne- 
cessity to  our  God  with  the  utmost  plainness  and  simplicity, 
as  David  did,  Vv'hen  he  could  say,  "  I  poured  out  my  com- 
plaint before  him,  I  showed  before  him  my  trouble."!  No 
art  is  needed  ;  no  extraordinary  talent  required;  the  right 
feeling  of  the  heart  is  the  great  thing.  "  He  will  fulfil  the 
desire  of  them  that  fear  him :  he  also  will  hear  their  cry, 
and  will  save  them."§  But  avoid  haste  and  precipitation,  as 

*  Ps.  Iv.  16. 

t  See  his  Fifty-two  Sermons  on  the  Church  Catechism. 

$  Ps.  cxlii.  2.  $  Ps.  cxlv.  19. 


176  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

if  you  were  going  through  a  task  which  you  wished  to  be 
over,  that  you  may  get  to  your  worldly  employments.  Re- 
member, this,  this  is  the  grand  business.  It  is  the  most  se- 
rious and  solemn  affair  in  which  you  can  be  engaged.  Any 
thing  like  affectation,  any  thing  that  borders  on  an  undue 
attention  to  elegance  t>f  language,  or  appnmches  to  mere 
vehemence  of  gesture,  should  be  carefully  avoided.  Let  us 
not  mimic  devotion,  but  seek  to  be  really  devout.  Avoid 
also  any  particular  tone  of  voice.  The  character  of  prayer 
is  well  stated  by  Bonnell,  where  he  observes,  "  Devotion  is 
to  the  soul  what  blood  is  to  the  body,  which  is  the  life  of  it. 
The  best  state  of  the  body  is  when  the  blood  moves  regu- 
larly and  evenly,  and  we  are  least  sensible  that  we  have 
such  a  thing  as  moving  blood  within  us.  It  is  so  when  it 
is  in  its  best  condition,  and  we  are  in  lirm  liealth.  Convul- 
sive and  extraordinary  motions  in  our  bodies  are  not  signs 
of  health,  but  of  sickness.  So  our  soul  is  in  the  best  state, 
when  our  mind,  in  our  devotion,  has  a  composed  and  gra- 
cious intercourse  v;ith  God,  in  such  intenseness  and  recol- 
lectedness  of  thought,  that  we  are  hardly  sensible  ourselves 
that  we  are  at  our  devotion."*  "  Fine  words  and  eloquent 
phrases,"  says  Parr,  "  are  not  that  wherein  God  delights ; 
but  reverence,  contrition,  faith,  and  the  groanings  of  the 
spirit,  however  homely  the  words  be.  Strive  more  to  pray 
with  feeling  than  to  be  eloquent."  Great  seriousness  and 
gravity  should  mark  every  prayer  we  make. 

7.  Ahn  to  enjoy  a  holy  freedom  and  boldness  of  access 
to  God. — ^By  the  faith  of  Christ  we  may  "  have  boldness 
and  access  with  confidence."!  There  should  be  the  liberty 
of  the  child  joined  to  the  humility  of  the  creature.  Our 
great  necessity,  and  the  faithful  promises,  and  holy  exam- 
ples of  tlie  word  of  God,  invite  us  to  a  resolute  and  deter- 
mined spirit,  that  will  wrestle  and  plead  with  God  for  the 
blessing ;  and  like  Jacob,  take  no  denial.  "  I  will  not  let 
thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me."!  Our  most  gracious  God 
thus  suffers  himself  to  be  prevailed  on,  and  is  willingly 
overcome.  "  None  that  wait  on  him  shall  be  ashamed.' 
You  should,  you  may,  tell  him  all  your  desires  freely  and 
fully,  without,  hiding  any  thing  from  him.  This  liberty  of 
access  was  purchased  for  us  by  our  Lord.     "  Having  bold- 

*  See  Hamilton's  Life  of  Bonnell.  t  Eph.  iii.  12. 

t  Gen.  xxxii.  26. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER,  177 

ness  to  enter  into  the  holiest,  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a 
new  and  living  way,  which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us 
through  the  vail,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh,  and  having  an 
High  Priest  over  the  house  of  God,  let  us  draw  near  with 
a  true  heart."*  Importunity,  or  urgent  demand  and  en- 
treaty, ataihia,  an  Urgency,  that  will  not  be  repulsed,  is 
recommended  by  an  example  which  our  Lord  himself 
brings  before  ni.  Luke  xi.  8.  Yet  beware  of  presumptuous- 
ness,  or  any  think  like  irreverence.  Observe  liov/  Abraham 
pleads  for  Sodom ;  (Gen.  xviii.  27. 30 — 3*2,)  he  pleads  freely 
and  boldly ;  yet  with  what  reverence  and  humility  he  urges 
his  pleas ! 

8.  Be  sincere  and  fervent.— ^mcexiiy  in  prayer  is  an  un- 
feigned desim  that  God  would  grant  our  petitions.  ■"  It  is 
easy,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Adam,  "  to  say  the  words  of  a 
prayer ;  but  to  pray  hungering  and  thirsting  is  the  greatest 
of  all  works.  Acquiescence  in  the  bare  act  of  prayer  is  a 
most  dangerous  delusion,  and  keeps  the  soul  from  its  proper 
relief"  We  cannot  be  too  much  warned  against  the  mere 
external  service  to  which  we  are  so  constantly  prone,  and 
which  is  the  bane  of  all  spiritual  good.  The  Scriptures 
often  insist  on  the  provocation  which  a  merely  external  ser- 
vice offers  to  God.  Ezek.  xxxiii.  31,  32.  Our  Lord  repeat- 
edly reproves  the  Pharisees,  for  their  formal  prayers.  Con- 
sider, then,  the  amazing  value  of  those  spiritual  blessings 
for  which  you  ask ;  believe  that  Gt:>d,  and  God  alone,  can,  and 
he  will  give  them  ;  and  this  will,  by  his  grace,  help  you  to  be 
both  sincere  and  fervent  m  your  prayers. 

Augustine  confesses  to  God,  "  In  the  entrance  on  youth, 
I  had  prayed  for  chastity,  and  had  said,  '  Give  me  chastity 
and  continence,  but  grant  not  my  request  immediately ;  for 
I  was  afraid  lest  thou  shouldest  quickly  hear  my  prayer, 
and  heal  this  distemper  of  concupiscence,  which  I  wished 
rather  to  be  fully  gratified  than  extinguished."  Such  an 
example  should  instruct  us.  Let  us  really  desire  that  which 
we  ask.f  "  The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon 
him  in  truth."J  "  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and  find  me,  when  ye 
shall  search  for  me  with  all  your  heart." §  It  has  been  ob- 
served, "  In  our  prayers,  sincerity  is  their  best  art,  simplici- 
ty their  garb,  and  zeal  their  gloss."     It  is  evident  that  the 

*  Heb.  X.  19  -22L  +  1  John  iii.  22 ;  John  ix.  31. 

JPs.cxIv.  la  ^Jer.  xsix.13. 


178  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

mind  should  devote  itself  entirely  to  the  solemn  exercise, 
and  dismissing-  all  foreign  and  outward  cares,  be  as  far  as 
possible  carried  above  them.  How  defective,  then,  are  our 
prayers !  how  needful  our  Savior's  intercession  !  how  all-im- 
portant is  the  aid  of  his  Spirit !  Guard  also  ag^ainst  that  sin 
ful  sloth  and  indifference  which  is  often  indulged  in,  from 
the  vain  idea,  that,  if  our  intentions  be  right,  any  substance 
or  form  of  prayer  will  serve.  Ofter  not  to  God  such  imper- 
fect sacrifices.*  It  may  assist  you  in  ascertaining  your  sin- 
cerity, often  to  ask  yourself  questions  on  your  prayers,  as, 
"did'l  really  desire  what  I  asked?"  &c. 

And  be  not  merely  sincere  ;  aim  also  at  fervency  of  de- 
sire. "  The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  the  righteous  man 
availeth  much."  But  we  too  generally  get  over  it  as  a  task : 
■we  put  not  forth  our  strength  to  it.  Custom  turns  it  into  a 
fruitless  formality.  Yet  all  the  various  expressions  by  which 
prayer  is  described  in  the  Scriptures,  pomt  out  to  us  the 
sincerity  and  fervency  of  true  devotion. — It  is  to  "call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord,"t  to  "stretch  forth  the  hands  to 
him,"t  to  "follow  hard  after him,"^  "to take  hold  of  God,"l| 
to  "  pour  out  the  heart  before  him,"!!  as  it  were  to  empty 
all  the  desires  of  the  soul. — It  is,  to  give  the  Lord  no  rest."** 
It  is  "striving  in  prayers,  "ft  "Always  laboring  fervently 
in  prayers."J|  Now  it  is  evident  that  expressions  of  this 
kind  show  that  it  is  not  a  trifling  matter  in  w^hich  we  are 
engaged ;  they  imply  the  greatest  earnestness  in  spirit. 
And  when  we  consider  how  immensely  valuable  are  the 
blessings  which  we  ask,  pardon,  peace,  holiness,  victory  over 
Satan,  acceptance  in  the  day  of  judgment,  and  eternal  life : 
surely  the  most  vehement  and  earnest  longings  and  ardent 
desires  are  but  suitable  and  becoming.  How  strong  are  the 
expressions  of  God's  dislike  of  lukewarrnness  !(■$  The  fervor 
of  devotion  will  be  much  promoted  by  constant  persever- 
ance in  the  performance  of  this  duty.  *'The  chariot  wheel 
is  warmed  by  its  own  motion."  But  after  all,  remember  the 
caution,  that  though  where  God  inclines  the  heart  fervent- 
ly to  pray,  he  usually  bestows  tlie  blessing  ;  yet  we  are  not 

*  Mai.  i.  13,  14.  t  Rom.  x.  13.  t  Job  xi.  13. 

$Ps.  Ixiii.  8.  (I  Isa.  Ixiv.  7.  T  Ps.  Ixii.  8. 

**  Isa.  Ixii.  7.  tt  Rom.  xv.  30,  U  Coi.  iv.  12. 
$^  Rev.  iii.  16. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  179 

to  draw  our  hopes  of  success  merely  from  our  ftrvency,  but 
only  from  the  nauie  of  Christ. 

9.  Be  frequent  and  persevering. — Appoint  the  most  con- 
venient times,  and  be  constant  in  keeping  to  them.  Let  your 
hours  of  prayer  be  duly  regulated  and  constantly  observed. 
The  Apostle  exhorts  us  to  the  duty  of  "praying  always 
with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  spirit,  and  watching 
thereunto  with  all  perseverance."  Undoubtedly  our  many 
Vt^ants  and  dangers,  and  the  examples  of  the  Bible,  call  for 
daily,  regular,  constant,  and  incessant  prayer.  Undoubtedly 
also,  it  requires  much  patient  perseverance,  really  to  main- 
tain the  spirit  of  devotion.  Your  evil  heart,  your  great  spir- 
itual enemy,  your  old  habits,  your  present  ease  and  indul- 
gence, and  perhaps  those  about  you,  oppose.  But  "  be  not 
weary  in  well  doing."  Grudge  not  the  time  which  you 
spend  in  devotion.  It  is  the  most  truly  profitable  way  of 
passing  time.  Perseverance  in  prayer  will  carry  away  the 
blessing.  Consider  the  example  of  the  woman  of  Canaan, 
who  thus  gained  her  desire  from  our  Lord.*  This  is  written 
for  our  encouragement.  Consider  the  case  of  Moses  being 
obliged  to  hold  up  his  hands  in  prayer  during  the  v,-hole 
battle  with  Amalek.  Do  you  think  it  presumptuous!  nay,  it 
is  most  pleasing  and  acceptable  to  God.  The  whole  scope 
of  one  of  our  Lx)rd's  parables  is,  to  teach  us  that  "  men 
ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint."!  Hesaitl,  "There 
was  in  a  city  a  judge,  which  feared  not  God,  neither  regard- 
ed man ;  and  there  was  a  widow  in  that  city,  and  she  came 
unto  liim,  saying,  Avenge  me  of  mine  adversary.  And  he 
would  not  for  a  while  ;  but  afterwards  he  said  within  him- 
self. Though  I  fear  Rot  God,  nor  regard  man ;  yet  beca.use 
this  woman  troubleth  me,  I  will  avence  her,  lest  by  her 
continual  coming  she  weary  me.  And  the  I^ord  said.  Hear 
what  the  unjust  judge  saith  !  And  shall  not  God  avenge  liis 
own  elect,  which  cry  day  a^^d  night  unto  him,  though  lie 
bear  long  with  them  !"  It  is  every  day's  practice  in  earthly 
things,  for  men  to  persevere  in  their  .requests,  and  to  send 
in  petition  after  petition  till  tltey  obtain  their  wishes.  It  is 
the  character  of  true  devotion,  that  it  will  not  desist  from 
seeking  till  it  gain  the  desired  spiritual  blessinQ-,  Blind 
Bartimeus  persevering  notwithstanding  all  discourage- 
ments, at  length  gains  his  request.!  Our  Savior  has  left  us 

*  Matt  XV.  22.  t  Luke  xviii.  1.  I  Mark  x.  48. 


180  A    TREATISE    OPf    PRAYER. 

an  example  of  his  holy  perseverance,  when  he  himself,  in  the 
garden  of  Gethsemane,  persevered  in  repeatedly  asking, 
with  the  same  words,  that  help  v/hich  he  needed.  We 
ought,  then,  to  pray  with  restless  importunity  and  perse- 
verance. The  same  duty  is  brought  before  us  in  the  follow- 
ing parable  :*  "Which  of  you  shall  have  a  friend,  and  shall 
go  unto  him  at  midnight,  and  say  unto  him,  Friend,  lend 
me  three  loaves ;  for  a  friend  of  mine  in  his  journey  has 
come  to  me,  and  I  have  nothing  to  set  before  him ;  and  he 
from  within  shall  answer  and  say.  Trouble  me  not;  the 
door  is  now  shut,  and  my  children  are  with  me  in  bed ;  I 
cannot  rise  and  give  thee.  I  say  unto  you,  though  he  will 
not  ri&e  and  give  him,  because  he  is  his  friend ;  yet  be- 
cause of  his  importunity,  he  will  rise  and  give  him  as 
many  as  he  needeth.  And  I  say  unto  you.  Ask,  and  it 
shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find,  knock,  and 
it  shall  be  opened  unto  you.  For  every  one  that  asketh, 
receiveth :  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth :  and  to  him  that 
knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.  How  gracious  is  that  mer- 
ciful Father,  who  by  these  examples  teaches  us  to  con- 
tinue praying ;  and  how  inexcusable  will  we  be,  if  afler 
such  an  encouragement,  we  do  not  persevere  in  asking  for 
his  blessing ! 

10.  Be  humbled  and  self-abased.  This  spirit  should 
mark  all  your  prayers.  "  The  foundation  of  prayer,"  saya 
Paley,  "  in  all  cases,  is  a  sense  of  want.  No  man  prays  in 
earnest,  or  to  any  purpose,  for  what  he  does  not  feel  that 
he  wants.  Know,  then,  and  feel  the  weakness  of  your  na- 
ture," "  The  great  mistake  of  prayer,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr, 
Adam,  "  is,  not  praying  as  poor  and  destitute  creatures ;  but 
thinking  that  we  are  and  have  already  in  some  degree 
what  we  pray  for."  God  "forgetteth  not  the  cry  of  the 
humble."!  Even  when  the  wicked  king  Maiiasseh  ** ham- 
bled  himself  greatly  before  the  God  of  his  fathers,  and 
prayed  unto  him,"  we  read  that  God  "  was  entreated  of 
him."|  The  Savior  himself  says,  "  Not  my  will  but  thine 
be  done."  If  one  grace  more  than  another  has  God's  spe- 
cial approbation,  and  is  attended  with  multiplied  spiritual 
advantages,  it  is  that  of  humility. ^  The  humble  man,  being 

*  Luke  xi.  5—10.      t  Ps.  ix.  12 ;  x.  17.      J  2  Chron.  xxxiii.  12, 13. 

$  An  old  writer,  commending  humility  in  prayer  as  advantageous 

in  prosperity  as  well  as  affliction,  thus  illustrates  it — "  Vessels  whose 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  181 

dv^eply  sensible  of  his  own  need,  the  more  he  receives,  the 
more  he  feels  his  indig-ence ;  he  expects  all  from  mere 
mercy,  and  pleads  nothing,  but  his  own  worthlessness  and 
necessity;  and,  having  a  broken  and  contrite  spirit,  he 
waits  with  patience  till  God  have  mercy,  thinking  the 
smallest  blessing  above  his  deserts.  Cultivate,  then,  a  spirit 
of  humility.  When  we  pray  for  any  grace,  let  us  be  ready 
to  confess  our  faultiness  in  that  particular,  and  acknowledge 
our  utter  inability  of  ourselves  to  work  it  in  our  hearts. 
Let  us  remember  what  an  awfully  great  and  holy  being  He 
is,  and  how  sinful  we  are  at  the  best !  and  how  the  glori- 
fied spirits  veil  their  faces,  fall  down,  and  worship  before 
God.*  Many  are  the  advantages  of  humility ;  "  Humble 
yourselves  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  lift  you 
up."t  "  The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken 
heart."!  The  tears  of  the  penitent  avail  much  with  him. 
When  "  Hezekiah  wept  sore,"^  his  prayer  was  heard.  It 
is  said  of  the  people  of  God  returning  to  Zion,  "  They  shall 
come  with  weeping,  and  with  supplications  will  I  lead 
them." II  The  showers  of  heaven  run  off  the  high  and  steep 
hills,  leaving  them  dry  and  barren,  while  the  lowly  valleys 
are  saturated  with. the  refreshing  rain,  and  become  fruitful. 
Go  to  the  throne  of  grace,  not  in  the  spirit  of  the  self-con- 
ceited Pharisee,  fancying  yourselves  better  than  others; 
but  in  the  humility  of  the  publican,  crying,  "God  be  merci- 
ful to  me  a  sinner."  Bishop  Wilkins  justly  observes,  "our 
most  enlarged  devotions  are  nothing  worth  without  the 
fruit  of  humble  and  upright  conversation,  and  with  this 
consequent,  our  coldest  and  most  restrained  prayer  may  be 
looked  upon  as  successful."  "  The  High  and  Lofty  One 
that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy,  dwells  with 
him  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit."1I  It  is  by  going" 
in  this  spirit,  relying  on  the  merits,  obedience,  and  inter- 
cession of  the  Savior,  that  we  shall  find  acceptance  with 

gails  are  filled,  if  well  ballasted,  run  a  more  steady  course  ;  so  it  is 
with  saints,  when  they  pray  with  full-sailed  joy  of  faith;  yet  while 
this  holy  ballast  of  humility  is  in  the  hold  of  the  heart,  and  not 
merely  aloft  in  show  above  deck,  appearing  to  men,  they  are  noJ 
soon  lifted  up  with  every  good  success  they  meet  with,  but  keeB 
low  and  deep,  and  carry  it  evenly  before  the  Lord,  as  humbly,  if 
not  more  humbly,  than  before."  See  Cobbett  on  Prayer,  page  283. 

*  Rev.  v.  8—14.  t  James  iv,  10.  t  Ps.  xxxiv.  8. 

$  2  Kings  XX.  1  i|  Jer.  xxxi.  9.  H  Isa.  Ivii.  IS 

a 


182  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

God.  Observe  how  humble  are  the  prayers  of  God's  ser- 
vants. See  those  of  Abraham,  (Gen.  xviii.  27.)  Jacob,  (^Gen. 
xxviii.  17,  18.)  David,  (Ps.  li.)  Job,  (xl.  4;  xlii.  6.)  Isaiah, 
(vi.  6.)  Ezra,  (ix.  6.)  and  even  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  (Heb. 
V.  7.)  We  may  abase  ourselves  more  than  we  ought  before 
man,  but  we  cannot  be  too  humble  when  we  come  before 
God;  and  the  nearer  access  we  have  unto  his  glorious 
majesty,  the  more  humble  we  shall  be.  "  Let  us  have 
grace,"  then,  "  that  we  may  serve  God  acceptably,  with 
reverence  and  godly  fear."* 

In  conclusion,  we  are  led  to  remark,  that  even  a  cursory 
view  of  these  rules  is  calculated  to  show  us  how  defective, 
in  every  one  of  them,  our  prayers  have  been  and  still  are. 
If  we  examine  our  past  prayers  by  them,  we  may  learn  the 
reason  why  we  have  derived  so  little  benefit  from  prayer  ; 
we  may  see  more  of  our  fallen  condition ;  and  be  led  to 
apply,  without  delay,  for  an  interest  in  the  only  atonement 
for  sin,  and  for  that  divine  strength  which  alone  can  enable 
us  to  overcome  sin  and  serve  God  acceptably. 

But  be  not  discouraged  by  the  strictness  here  recom- 
mended, and  think  that  the  work  of  prayer  is  altogether 
impracticable,  because  you  cannot  discharge  it  perfectly. 
Aim  high,  and  you  are  more  likely  to  attain  to  a  good  de- 
gree in  Christian  grace,  with  that  humility  which  ever 
marks  the  Christian  character ;  besides,  let  us  never  forget 

*  Heb.  xii.  28.  Having  given  the  preceding  general  rules  as 
principally  necessary  to  be  attended  to,  I  sum  up  in  a  note  what 
might  farther  be  said,  by  extracting  from  an  old  writer  the  following 
Rules  of  Practice. 

I.  Before  Prayer. — Meditate  on  the  promises  and  presence  of 
God. — Ask  his  gracious  help,  and  the  evidence  of  his  Spirit. — Lay 
aside  all  malice,  guile,  envy,  hatred,  and  seek  to  have  thy  heart 
filled  with  heavenly  love. — Remember  thy  own  vileness,  and  God's 
awful  majesty. — Disburthen  thy  mind  of  worldly  thoughts  and  cares. 

II.  In  Prayer. — Lift  up  thy  heart  with  thy  hands,  and  place  be- 
fore thee  Christ  and  his  merits. — Watch  over  thy  thoughts. — Recover 
thyself  from  distractions,  and  improve  them  to  thy  further  humilia- 
tion and  watchfulness. 

III.  After  Prayer. — Thank  the  Lord  for  any  degree  of  liberty  or 
enlargement. — Pray  for  pardon  and  the  sprinkling  blood  of  atone- 
ment.— Wait  God's  leisure. — Mark  answers  to  prayer  when  God 
gives  thee  greater  confidence  in  his  love;  more  cheerfulness  of 
spirit;  grace  to  persevere  in  the  face  of  many  denials;  a  spirit  of 
self-examination  and  circumspection;  and  when  he  gives  thee  thy 
requests,  let  it  stir  thee  up  to  thankfulness,  and  quicken  thee  in  hia 
way. 


A  TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  183 

what  a  fountain  of  spiritual  life,  what  a  powerful,  gracious, 
and  glorious  Savior  we  have ;  a  sun  whose  rays  can  warm 
the  coldest  heart,  and  whose  beams  can  enliven  the  dullest 
spirit.  Let  us  never  forget  what  a  mighty  and  gracious 
helper  we  have  in  the  blessed  Spirit,  who  "  helpeth  our  in- 
firmities." You  will  find,  that  nothing  is  impossible  to  those 
united  to  Christ  by  living  faith,  and  abiding  in  him,  and  re- 
ceiving the  daily  supply  of  his  Holy  Spirit 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

AN  EXHORTATION  TO  CONSTANT  PRAYER. 

Prayer  being  at  the  root  of  every  other  good,  marking 
the  commencement  of  the  Christian  life,  being  the  pulse 
by  which  its  strength  and  vigor  may  be  known,  or  the  hands 
by  which  its  daily  nourishment  is  obtained  and  ministered, 
the  reader  will  bear  with  me  while  I  attempt  still  farther 
to  press  this  duty  on  the  conscience. 

There  are  two  things  which  will  ever  bring  the  Chris- 
tian to  the  throne  of  grace : — A  sense  of  his  own  wants; 
and  a  desire  to  enjoy  the  presence  of  God. 

God  having  promised  to  supply  all  his  wants,  his  prayers 
are  the  importunate  wrestling  of  the  soul  with  God  for 
blessings  of  infinite  moment.  And  God  being  the  portion 
of  his  soul,  he  finds  in  his  presence  the  sweet  and  unspeaka- 
ble repose  of  the  soul  on  God,  his  exceeding  great  reward. 

"Prayer,"  says  Bishop  Taylor,  "is  the  effect  and  the 
exercise,  the  beginning  and  the  promoter  of  all  graces.  A 
holy  life  is  a  continual  prayer.  Prayer  is  the  peace  of  our 
spirit,  the  stillness  of  our  thoughts,  the  rest  of  our  cares, 
the  calm  of  our  tempest." 

1.  Yet  there  are  many  who  have  neglected  prayer,  and 
this  in  all,  or  at  least  in  some  of  its  branches.  Such  per- 
sons will  often  be  dissatisfied,  complaining  of  others ;  and 
though  in  the  midst,  perhaps,  of  abundance  of  earthly  good 
things,  yet  would  they  declare  their  real  state,  they  would 
be  found  discontented  and  unhappy.  And  is  this  to  be  won- 
dered atl  God  is  your  Cieator.  He  is  the  Governor  of  the 
universe.     He  makes  men  happy ;  when  he  leaves  them, 


184  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

they  are  miserable  ;  and  yet  you  neglect  to  seek  him.  You 
do  not  pursue  his  plans.  You  do  not  follow  the  directions 
which  he  has  given  you  for  obtaining  his  blessings,  and 
therefore  you  have  them  not.  But  can  you  think  that  you 
will  always  have  an  opportunity  of  seeking  himl  O  no! 
remember,  that  there  is  an  "  accepted  time,  a  day  of  salva- 
tion," and  that  it  is  our  highest  duty  and  our  plainest  interest 
to  "  seek  the  Lord,  while  he  may  be  found,  and  call  upon 
him  while  he  is  near."  But,  perhaps,  you  defer  seeking 
God  to  the  close  of  life,  or  to  a  period  of  sickness.  O  most 
dangerous  delusion  !  To  be  careful  about  the  temporal  en- 
joyment of  a  day,  and  to  suspend  eternal  happiness  on  the 
most  improbable  of  all  chances  !  It  is  almost  certain  that  if 
you  do  from  day  to  day  put  off  the  duty  of  prayer,  deceiv- 
ing yourself  with  the  intention  of  calling  on  God  in  such 
a  period,  God  will  not,  in  that  day,  give  you  either  grace 
or  ability  to  pray  to  him.  You  will  perish  in  your  sins. 
There  is  neither  safety  nor  happiness  but  in  constant  prayer. 
If  you  would  obtain  the  waters  of  life,  you  must  come  to 
the  fountain.  If  you  would  drink  of  the  streams,  you  must 
come  to  the  banks  of  that  "  river  which  maketh  glad  the 
city  of  our  God."  Perhaps  you  think  prayer  to  be  needless 
or  useless.  But  is  not  this  sad  folly  ]  You  think  it  neces- 
sary to  inquire,  '•  What  shall  we  eat,  and  what  shall  we 
drink,  and  wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed]"  necessary 
to  seek  after  the  provision  of  more  temporal  wants ;  and 
yet  you  can  be  careless  about  the  pardon  of  your  sins,  the 
salvation  of  your  soul,  the  eternal  ruin  of  liell,  and  the 
everlasting  glory  of  heaven.  Prayer  is 'no  more  to  be  es- 
teemed needless,  than  eternal  bliss  is  needless.  No  man 
ever  repented  of  prayer.  Baxter  says,  "  I  often  repent 
that  I  have  prayed  to  him  so  coldly,  and  communed  with 
him  so  negligently,  and  served  him  so  remissly ;  but  I  never 
repent  of  the  time,  care,  affection,  or  diligence  employed  in 
this  holy  work." 

2.  Some  are  ashamed  of  prayer. — They  think  that  it  is 
the  mark  of  a  weak,  or  superstitious  mind.  They  are 
afraid  of  being  laughed  at  and  ridiculed  by  their  ungodly 
companions ;  and  perhaps  they  have  no  place  to  which  they 
can  retire  to  be  alone.  But  is  it  not  the  grossest  igno- 
rance, weakness,  and  delusion,  to  be  afraid  of  the  ridicule 
of  a  perishing,  guilty  man,  and  regardless  of  the  displeasure 
of  the  ever-living  and  ever-blessed  God  1     Only  be  firm, 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  185 

and  constant,  in  your  devotions,  and  you  will  soon  put  to 
shame  the  ridicule  of  your  companions,  or  God  will  mani- 
festly appear  on  your  side.  Imitate  Daniel's  noble  open- 
ness and  frankness,  his  firm  decision,  and  integrity  of  de- 
votion, (Dan.  iv.  35,)  and  you  may  expect  to  be  carried 
through  every  difficulty.  It  is  not  a  mark  of  a  weak  and 
little  mind,  but  of  the  deepest  wisdom,  of  the  highest  gran- 
deur, and  nobleness  of  spirit,  to  hold  constant  intercourse 
with  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth.  The  true  weakness, 
the  real  littleness,  is  to  be  afraid  of  a  worm,  a  creature  of 
a  day,  mere  dust  and  ashes.* 

3.  There  are  others  ivho  did  once  pray  with  earnestness 
and  fervor,  but  they  have  become  remiss  or  cureless. — 
Some  alarming  sermons,  some  terrors  of  conscience,  some 
dangerous  event,  and  some  convictions  of  sin,  once  excited 
you  to  seek  God :  but  now,  both  your  fears  and  your  pray- 
ers have  passed  away,  or  at  least  you  are  unsteady  and  neg- 
ligent. David  describes  the  case,  Ps.  Ixxviii.  34 — 37. 
How  precious  once  were  the  hours  of  prayer !  How  de- 
lightful a  place  was  your  closet !  How  tears  filled  your 
eyes  while  you  confessed  your  sinfulness,  or  thanked  God 
for  his  mercies !  But  now,  all  is  cold  and  dull.  Surely 
your  own  conscience  will  most  powerfully  condemn  you, 
and  plead  with  me  when  I  exhort  you  to  renewed  efforts 
to  obtain  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication.  "  Prayer," 
says  Cooke,  "  is  compared  to  incense ;  and  if  the  smoke  of 
it  ceases  to  rise  up  before  God,  it  is  a  sure  sign  that  the 
light  of  divine  knowledge  and  the  fire  of  divine  loye  are 

*  The  following  fact  will  show  that  God's  blessing  to  others  may 
also  attend  a  faithful  discharge  of  our  own  duty. 

A  pious  man  was  once  led  by  some  common  engagement  to  asso- 
ciate a  whole  day  with  a  minister  who  had  greatly  neglected  his  sa- 
cred duties.  Their  business  took  them  from  home,  and  they  had 
much  conversation  together  on  religious  subjects.  At  night  they 
came  to  the  same  inn,  and  found  that  they  could  only  have  one  bed 
room.  The  minister  was  soon  undressed  and  in  bed,  without  saying 
any  prayer.  His  companion  at  first  hesitated  whether  he  should 
put  out  the  candle  and  then  pray,  or  say  his  prayers  openly.  He 
thought  that  his  duty  at  that  time  led  him  not  to  be  ashamed  of 
prayer,  and  he  prayed,  extinguished  the  light,  and  went  to  bed. 
This  faithful  discharge  of  duty  was  not  lost  on  him  who  had  gone 
prayerless  to  bed.  The  conversation  which  he  had  heard,  and  the 
example  which  he  had  seen,  left  a  deep  and  abiding  impression  oa 
his  mind,  and  from  that  time  he  became  a  faithful  and  laborioua 
minister  of  Christ 


186  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

both  extinguished  in  the  heart."  The  exhortation  belongs 
to  you — "  O  Israel,  return  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  for  thou 
hast  fallen  by  thine  iniquity."  Are  the  realities  of  a  dying 
bed  and  the  judgment  day  less  near,  or  less  important  than 
they  once  were  1  Nay,  every  day  is  bringing  you  nearer 
and  nearer  to  them.  Every  day  is  of  more  importance, 
and  shortens  that  little  span  of  life,  in  which  we  have  to 
escape  the  misery  of  hell,  and  gain  the  heavenly  mansions. 
Lose  not  a  moment — plead  earnestly  for  the  renewed  spirit 
of  prayer.  Think  not  that  your  sin  is  beyond  forgiveness, 
and  therefore  now  prayer  is  of  no  use.  Let  not  Satan  so 
tempt  you.  Again  seek  the  presence  of  God,  and  it  will 
be  a  proof  that  you  are  not  yet  given  up  to  a  reprobate 
mind.  Even  in  the  wicked  city  of  Nineveh,  when  they 
cried  mightily  unto  the  Lord,  they  were  spared.  Now  if 
God  heard  the  Ninevites  crying  for  temporal  blessings, 
doubt  not  but  he  will  hear  you,  when  you  earnestly  im- 
plore pardon,  peace,  and  salvation.  Yet  there  is  a  way 
open  to  the  throne  of  grace ;  and  so  long  as  it  is  open,  you 
need  not  be  miserable,  you  need  not  be  unhelped. 

4.  Others  are  endeavoring  to  live  in  constant  grayer. — 
They  need  no  proof  of  the  obligation,  no  additional  argu- 
ment, to  show  them  that  it  is  their  duty.  But  perhaps  they 
are  often  discouraged  and  cast  down  by  their  difficulties  in 
attaining  a  constant  spirit  of  devotion.  If,  however,  you 
are  desiring  and  seeking,  Augustine  justly  says,  "  If  he 
seeks,  let  him  not  doubt  but  that  the  desire  of  seeking  has 
been  received  from  him  whom  he  seeks."  And  may  I  not 
say,  when  you  really  attain  a  good  measure  of  the  spirit  of 
devotion,  you  enjoy  a  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  un- 
derstanding; it  is  your  privilege — your  happiness.  You 
have  free  communication  with  the  Lord  of  Lords  and  King 
of  Kings — You  are  permitted  to  come  nearer  to  him  on  all 
occasions.  He  grants  all  your  requests,  and  supplies  all 
your  wants.  On  account  of  our  corrupt  nature,  it  requires 
indeed  watchfulness,  patience,  and  perseverance,  to  main- 
tain this  spirit  of  prayer,  but  you  find  it  to  be  its  own  re- 
ward. Let  us  not  then  be  content  with  small  measures  of 
the  grace  of  supplication :  let  us  seek  to  attain  more  and 
more  of  this  gift:  and  soon,  the  work  of  prayer  ended,  the 
never-ceasing  song  of  praise  will  commence,  which  will 
endure  through  the  boundless  ages  of  eternity. 

But  let  me  speak  to  every  reader. 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  187 

Christian  Ministers !  We  should  be  men  of  prayer ;  it 
is  the  half  of  our  duty,  and  that  by  which  we  carry  on  the 
rest  "  We  will,"  say  the  Apostles,  "  give  ourselves  con- 
tinually to  prayer,  and  the  ministry  of  the  word."  The 
prayers  of  ministers  avail  much.  We  may  expect  more 
assistance  than  others.  It  is  the  divine  direction  for  our 
people — "  Is  any  sick  among-  you  ]  let  him  call  for  the  el- 
ders of  the  Church,  and  let  them  pray  over  him."  When 
Abimelech  was  threatened  with  death,  he  was  told  to  send 
for  Abraham ;  and  the  reason  given  was,  "  for  he  is  a 
prophet,  and  he  shall  pray  for  thee,  and  thou  shalt  live." 
Should  not  we  then  abound  in  prayer  ] 

Christian  parents!  We  next  address  you.  Pray  for 
your  children.  "  Whenever,"  says  Bishop  Hopkins,  "  thou 
comest  unto  the  throne  of  grace,  bring  these  thy  dear 
pledges  upon  thy  heart  with  thee.  Earnestly  implore  of 
God  that  he  would  own  them,  and  provide  for  them  as  his 
own  children :  that  he  would  adopt  them  into  the  family  of 
heaven,  make  them  heirs  of  glory,  and  co-heirs  with  Jesus 
Christ :  that  he  would  give  them  a  convenient  portion  of 
good  things  for  this  life,  that  they  may  serve  him  with  the 
more  cheerfulness  and  alacrity;  and  a  large  portion  of 
spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly  things  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and 
at  length  bring  them  to  the  heavenly  inheritance.  And 
know  assuredly  that  the  prayers  of  parents  are  very  effec- 
tual, and  have  a  kind  of  authority  in  them  to  obtain  what 
they  sue  for.  This  is  the  blessing  which  holy  lathers  in 
Scripture  have  bestowed  on  their  children.  Thus  Abraham 
asked,  "  O  that  Ishmael  might  live  before  thee  !"  Thus 
Jacob  prayed  for  and  blessed  his  children  and  his  grand- 
children. Thus  Job  remembered  his  children,  and  "  of- 
tered  burnt-ofterings  according  to  the  number  of  them  all." 
Bring  them  up,  also,  in  the  practice  of  prayer.  They  can- 
not too  early  begin  to  seek  their  Savior  and  to  lisp  his 
praise.  No  habit  ■»  ill  be  more  profitable  to  them  than  that 
of  daily  prayer.  Teach  your  children  this,  and  they  will 
then  rise  up  and  call  you  blessed.  Store  their  young  minds 
with  the  Scriptures,  fuinish  them  with  short  portions  for 
all  occasions.  This  will  arm  them  with  invincible  strength 
against  their  enemies.  They  are  about  to  journey  through 
a  dangerous  wilderness ;  teach  them  to  pray,  morning  and 
evening,  and  it  will  direct  their  way,  "  like  that  pillar 
which  guided  Israel  through  the  wilderness,  as  a  cloud  by 


188  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

day  to  shadow  them,  and  as  a  fire  by  night  to  comfort 
them." 

Prayer  is  a  duty  at  all  times  and  in  all  seasons  of  life. 

Are  you  in  prosperity  ?  Let  prayer  and  praise  sanctify 
all  your  enjoyments.  Great  is  the  snare  of  outward  pros- 
perity. How  "  hardly  shall  they  that  are  rich  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  !"  You  have  need  to  pray  much, 
lest  that  which  was  designed  as  a  talent  for  great  u.seful- 
ness,  occasion  your  eternal  ruin.  Let  nothing  hinder  you 
from  giving  regular  and  full  time  to  devotion.  The  days 
of  health  and  strength  should  be  given  to  God,  "  while  the 
evil  days  come  not,  nor  the  years  draw  nigh  when  thou 
shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them." 

Are  you  afflicted  1  That  is  the  time  for  special  prayer. 
**  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  I  will  hear  thee, 
and  thou  shalt  glorify  me."  In  the  absence  of  the  sun,  the 
mild  and  peaceful  radiance  of  the  moon  illumines  our  path. 
Let  devotion  spread  a  cheering  light  over  your  darker 
hours.  "  The  Queen  of  night,"  says  Bowdler,  "  unveils 
its  full  beauty  when  the  hours  of  joy  and  lustre  have  passed 
away,  pouring  as  it  were  a  holy  light  through  the  dampa 
and  darkness  of  adversity."  Thus  will  constant  prayer 
cheer  the  darkest  season  of  affliction. 

Are  you  young?  Let  that  rapid  torrent  of  youthful 
strength  and  vivacity,  which,  if  left  to  itself,  would  only  be 
wasted  and  dashed  against  rocks,  from  precipice  to  preci- 
pice, be  turned  into  a  profitable  course.  Let  this  stream  be 
brought  into  the  channel  of  devotion,  and  it  will  move  the 
machine  of  the  Christian  life,  and  communicate  innumera- 
ble blessings  to  man.  *'  Those  that  seek  me  early  shall 
find  me."*  Nothing  is  more  pleasing,  nothing  more  profit- 
able, than  early  devotion.  Slight  not  him  in  your  strength, 
who  will  be  the  only  protector  of  your  weakness. 

Are  you  in  middle  life?  In  the  midst  of  this  world's  en- 
gagements, how  are  you  encompassed  as  in  a  maze  of 
temptation !  Let  prayer  be  the  secret  thread  which  leads 
you  safely  out  of  this  labyrinth.  How  are  you  surrounded 
with  duties  of  the  first  importance  I  What  a  happy  influ- 
ence, then,  would  devotion  have  in  making  you  a  general 
blessing  to  your  family,  your  neighborhood,  and  your  coun- 
try !    Like  the  regulator  in  the  watch,  though  unseen  out- 

*  Prov.  viii.  17.  t  Eccles.  vii.  1. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  189 

wardly,  it  would  keep  the  spring  of  your  actions  in  order ; 
it  would  make  all  your  movements  certain  and  useful. 
Give  the  strength  of  your  years  to  God,  and  you  will  leave 
"a  good  name  better  than  precious  ointment."*  Remem- 
ber, "  the  prayer  of  faith,"  as  Bishop  Porteus  says,  "  moves 
the  hands  of  him  that  moveth  all  things." 

Are  you  in  declining  years  ?  and  will  you  not  hold  con- 
verse with  Him  whom  you  are  soon  to  meet  and  see  face 
to  face"?  Why  should  you  enter  the  eternal  world  a 
stranger  to  the  great  King  who  rules  there,  when  you 
have  an  opportunity  of  being  adopted  into  his  family,  en- 
joying his  presence  here,  and  sharing  the  splendors  of  his 
crown  and  of  his  glories  hereafter.  "  What,"  says  one, 
"  can  be  more  truly  desirable  than  to  attain  to  a  measure 
of  that  light  and  peace,  which,  in  their  full  measure,  be- 
long to  a  higher  condition'?  and  what  more  excellent  than 
that  occupation  which  connects  the  service  with  the  enjoy- 
ment of  God,  the  duties  of  this  life  with  the  glories  of  the 
better  1" 

To  every  class  of  my  readers  I  say, 

PRAY  WITHOUT  CEASING. 


*  Eccles.  vii.  1. 


190  A    TREATISE    ON    PFAYER. 

HYMNS  ON  PRAYER. 

I. 

Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire, 

Utter'd  or  unexpress'd ; 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire 

That  trembles  in  the  breast. 

Prayer  is  the  burthen  of  a  sigh, 

The  falling  of  a  tear, 
The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye. 

When  none  but  God  is  near. 

Prayer  is  the  simplest  form  of  speech. 

That  infant  lips  can  try  ; 
Prayer  the  sublimest  strains  that  reach 

The  Majesty  on  high. 

Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath, 

The  Christian's  native  air, 
His  watchword  at  the  gates  of  death. 

He  enters  heaven  with  prayer. 

Prayer  is  the  contrite  sinner's  voice, 

Returning  from  his  ways  ; 
While  angels  in  their  songs  rejoice, 

And  say,  "  Behold,  he  prays !" 

The  saints  in  prayer,  appear  as  one, 

In  word,  in  deed,  and  mind, 
When,  with  the  Father  and  the  Son, 

Their  fellowship  they  find. 

Nor  prayer  is  made  on  earth  alone ; 

The  Holy  Spirit  pleads ; 
And  Jesus,  on  th'  eternal  throne, 

for  sinners  intercedes. 

O  Thou,  by  whom  we  come  to  God, 

The  Life,  the  Truth,  the  Way, 
The  path  of  Prayer  Thyself  hast  trod. 

Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray.  Montgomery, 

II. 

Though  "  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  !" 

Seraph  to  seraph  sings; 
And  angel  choirs,  with  one  accord, 

Worsiiip  vvitli  veiling  wings  : 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  191 

Though  Earth  thy  footstool,  Heaven  thy  throne, 

Thy  way  amid  the  sea, 
Thy  path  deep  floods,  thy  steps  unknown, 

Thy  counsels  mystery : 

Yet  wilt  thou  look  on  him  who  lies 

A  suppliant  at  thy  feet; 
And  hearken  to  the  feeblest  cries, 

That  reach  thy  mercy-seat. 

Between  the  cherubim,  of  old, 

Thy  glory  was  express'd  ; 
But  God,  in  Christ,  we  now  behold. 

In  flesh  made  manifest. 

Through  Him,  who  all  our  sickness  felt» 

Who  all  our  sorrows  bears  ; 
Through  Him,  in  whom  thy  fullness  dwelt. 

We  offer  up  our  prayers. 

Touch'd  with  a  feeling  of  our  woes, 

Jesus  our  High  Priest  stands  ; 
All  oar  infirmities  he  knows, 

Our  souls  are  in  his  hands. 

He  bears  them  up  with  strength  divine, 

When  at  thy  feet  we  fall ; 
Lord  !  cause  thy  face  on  us  to  shine  ; 

Hear  us ;  on  Thee  we  call.  Montgomery. 

HI. 

Lord  !  teach  us  how  to  pray  aright, 

With  rev'rence  and  with  fear ; 
Though  dust  and  ashes  in  thy  sight. 

We  may,  we  must,  draw  near. 

We  perish,  if  we  cease  from  prayer ; 

O  grant  us  power  to  pray  : 
And  when  to  meet  thee  we  prepare, 

Lord,  meet  us  by  the  way. 

Give  deep  humility ;  the  sense 

Of  godly  sorrow  give ; 
A  strong  desiring  confidenc'e 

To  hear  thy  voice,  and  live. 

Faith  in  the  only  Sacrifice 

That  can  for  sin  atone; 
To  cast  our  hopes,  to  fix  our  eyes, 

On  Christ,  on  Christ  alone ; 


192  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Patience  to  watch,  and  wait,  and  weep. 

Though  mercy  long  delay  ; 
Courage  our  fainting  souls  to  keep, 

And  trust  thee,  though  thou  slay : 

Give  these ; — and  then  thy  will  be  done ; 

Thus  strengthen'd  with  all  might, 
We,  by  thy  Spirit,  through  thy  Son, 

Shall  pray,  and  pray  aright.  Montgomery. 

IV. 

Lord  !  when  we  bend  before  thy  throne, 

And  our  confessions  pour. 
Teach  us  to  feel  the  sins  we  own, 

And  hate  what  we  deplore. 

Our  broken  spirit  pitying  see ; 

True  penitence  impart : 
Then  let  a  kindling  glance  from  thee 

Beam  hope  on  every  heart. 

When  we  disclose  our  wants  in  prayer, 

May  we  our  wills  resign  ; 
And  not  a  thought  our  bosom  share, 

That  is  not  wholly  thine. 

May  faith  each  weak  petition  fill. 

And  raise  it  to  the  skies, 
And  teach  our  heart  'tis  Goodness  still 

That  grants  it,  or  denies. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  193 

CHAPTER  XV. 

FORMS  OF  PRAYER 

The  writer's  design  has  been  to  induce  his  readers  gene- 
rally to  pray  in  private  and  in  the  family  without  forms. 
Yet  as  this  work  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  many,  to  whom 
this,  from  various  causes,  would  not  immediately  be  prac- 
ticable, he  adds  a  few  Forms  of  Prayer. 

He  has,  in  two  or  three  instances,  put  the  names  of  the 
parts  of  prayer  to  the  forms,  as  a  means  of  assisting  those 
who  may  use  them  to  learn  the  divisions  of  prayer. 

In  the  part  of  Confession  in  the  different  prayers,  the 
writer  has  mentioned  those  sins  which  are  most  common. 
The  person  who  uses  the  form  may  easily  alter  it  according 
to  circumstances. 

These  forms  must  rather  be  considered  as  hints  to  be  im- 
proved on  than  examples  to  copy.  Much  of  the  interest  of 
private  and  family  prayer  depends  on  personal  and  local  cir- 
cumstances. Let  us  endeavor  to  attain  that  spirit  of  grace 
and  supplication  which  enables  the  Christian,  in  a  strain  of 
holy  devotion,  to  bring  the  changing  circumstances  and 
events  of  life  before  the  throne  of  grace,  comforts  his  own 
heart  in  private  prayer,  and  edifies  and  interests  all  about 
him  in  family  worship. 

PRAYER  FOR  THE  GIFT  AND  GRACE  OF  PRAYER. 

O  thou  eternal  and  ever  blessed  God,  who  art  the  Au- 
thor and  Giver  of  every  good  gift,  and  who  hast  promised 
so  many  and  such  great  blessings  to  them  that  call  upon 
thee,  hear  me  now,  I  beseech  thee,  through  Jesus  Christ. 

Lord,  I  confess  my  utter  inability  to  seek  thee  aright.  I 
am  encompassed  with  infirmities  ;  I  acknowledge  my  in- 
disposition to  prayer ;  I  bewail  my  backwardness  and  reluc- 
tance to  hold  converse  with  God. 

Teach  me  rightly  to  feel  this  my  weakness  and  helpless- 
ness. Give  me  a  more  complete  knowledge  of  my  insuffi- 
ciency. Convince  me  of  the  need  that  I  have  of  thy  divine 
assistance,  and  grant  me  earnest  desires  after  thy  salvation. 
Create  in  me  an  hungering  and  thirsting  after  righteous- 
ness. Impart  to  me  a  holy  liberty  of  soul  in  calling  upon 
R 


:94  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

thee.  Heavenly  Father,  Fountain  of  light  and  life,  T  do  not 
ask  for  earthly  riches,  vain  pleasures,  Iruman  honors ;  but  \ 
do  humbly  ask  for  the  spirit  of  prayer,  for  the  heart  ever 
prepared  and  ready  to  call  upon  God. 

It  is  thy  promise  that  thou  wilt  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask.  I  ask,  do  thou  give :  I  seek,  grant  that  1 
may  find ;  I  knock,  let  it  be  opened  unto  me.  Help  me  to 
pray  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Help  me  to  live  daily  in  constant 
believing  prayer.  Lord,  teach  me  to  pray. 

By  nature  proud  and  self-sufficient,  I  am  prone  to  think 
and  act  as  if  I  needed  not  thy  help ;  but  O  teach  me  to 
know  how  poor  and  how  needy  I  really  am  ;  and  knowing" 
my  great  and  many  necessities,  and  my  entire  dependence 
on  thee,  give  me  the  disposition,  from  day  to  day,  and  from 
hour  to  hour,  to  seek  thy  help  and  strength. 

Enable  me  entirely  to  confide  in  thy  almighty  power,  thy 
boundless,  compassion,  thy  infinite  love,  and  thy  amazing 
mercy.  Let  the  gift  of  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  his  inter- 
cession for  sinners,  encourage  me  to  approach  thee.  Help 
me  to  pray,  relying  only  on  his  merits,  and  through  him 
may  I  learn  to  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

Let  nothing  keep  me  from  God.  May  I  renounce  all 
known  sin,  and  all  carnal  indulgences,  and  not  be  conformed 
to  this  world.  Enable  me  to  resist  the  temptations  of  Satan, 
to  watch  against  self-righteousness  and  spiritual  pricle,  and 
never  to  neglect  the  study  of  thy  word. 

Give  me  grace,  whenever  I  seek  thee,  to  look  for  the  aid 
of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  trust  only  in  the  name  of  thy  Son, 
and  to  watch  unto  prayer.  Let  me  not  be  rash  with  my 
mouth ;  but,  meditating  before  I  pray,  may  I  ask  in  faith,  in 
simplicity  of  mind,  with  filial  freedom  of  spirit,  in  sincerity 
of  heart,  and  fervency  of  desire,  praying  always  with  all 
prayer,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance.  x\nd, 
after  having  done  all,  may  I  ever  consider  myself  an  un- 
profitable servant. 

Grant  me  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  help  my  infirmities,  for  I 
know  not  what  to  pray  for  as  I  ought;  grant  me  thy  Holy 
Spirit  to  make  intercession  for  me  with  groanings  which 
cannot  be  uttered. 

Give  me,  O  give  me  this  great  gift,  the  spirit  of  grace 
and  supplication,  for  thy  dear  Son's  sake,  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord.     Amen. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  195 

PRIVATE    MORNING    PRAYER. 

Merciful  God,  give  ear  unto  me,  when  I  cry  to  thee,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  My  voice  shalt  thou  hear  in 
the  morning,  O  Lord  ;  in  the  morning  will  I  direct  my 
prayer  unto  thee,  and  will  look  up.    Lord,  help  me  to  pray. 

Confession. 

Great  is  the  need  that  I  have  to  seek  the  Lord  while  he 
may  be  found,  and  to  call  upon  him  while  he  is  near.  I 
know  that  in  me,  that  is,  in  my  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good 
thing.  The  things  of  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and 
the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of  life,  are  continually 
tempting  me,  and  leading  me  astray  from  thee.  My  affec- 
tions towards  thee,  my  God,  are  cold  and  dull.  My  tem- 
pers are  often  unsanctified.  I  am  prone  to  depart  from  thee, 
and  lukewarm  and  indifferent  when  I  ought  to  have  a  holy 
zeal.  I  too  much  neglect  and  trifle  with  my  own  salva- 
tion, and  the  salvation  of  my  relatives  and  friends.  I  have 
little  of  that  spiritual  mind  which  is  life  and  peace.  My 
temptations  are  many :  I  often  yield  to  them ;  I  have  no 
strength  of  my  own  to  resist  them. 

Petition. 

I  beseech  thee,  therefore,  O  my  God,  to  be  very  merciful 
to  me  a  sinner.  Incline  and  enable  me  to  come  to  Jesus 
Christ,  weary  and  heavy  laden  as  I  am,  and  may  I  find  rest 
in  him.  Teach  me  my  own  guilt  and  ruin  ;  and  help  me 
to  rely  on  his  blood,  and  build  all  my  hopes  on  his  right- 
eousness, God  grant  that,  being  grafl:ed  in  Christ,  I  may 
live  to  him.  Suffer  me  not  to  deceive  myself  by  a  mere 
form  and  profession  of  religion ;  but  give  me  true  faith  that 
I  may  really  abide  in  Christ  and  bear  much  fruit.  Quicken 
thou  my  soul.  Make  my  heart  pure,  humble,  and  devout ; 
and  my  conversation  holy  and  heavenly.  Thou  art  my 
Rock,  and  in  thee  do  I  trust.  Thou  art  my  Strength,  O 
establish  me.  Help  me  to  live  near  to  thee  all  the  day 
long  ;  and  do  thou  preserve  me  from  that  sin  which  does  so 
easily  beset  me. 

Give  me  grace  this  day  to  overcome  temptation,  and  to 
mortify  all  my  corrupt  affections.  Grant  unto  me  the 
abundance  of  thy  Holy  Spirit.  Lord,  I  deserve  not  the" 
blessing :  I  have  forfeited  the  mercy :  but,  O  thou  with 


190  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

whom  is  the  residue  of  the  Spirit,  for  the  glory  of  thy  name, 
and  according  to  thy  faithful  promise,  give  me  thy  Spirit, 
that  I  may  never  dishonor  thee  by  inconsistency  and  unfruit- 
fulness,  but  abound  in  every  good  work,  and  walk  worthy 
of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Enable  me  to  begin  anew  this 
day,  in  seriousness,  and  entire  dedication  of  heart  to  give 
myself  to  thee. 

Lord,  help  me  this  day  to  live  in  prayer,  to  watch  against 
the  peculiar  temptations  of  my  station,  to  embrace  every 
opportunity  of  doing  good,  to  redeem  the  time,  and  to  make 
steady  advances  in  that  narrow  way  which  leadeth  to  eter- 
nal life. 

Thanksgiving. 

And  while  I  pray  to  thee  for  those  mercies  which  I  need, 
I  would,  from  the  heart,  thank  thee  for  all  those  great  bless- 
ings which  I  have  received,  and  do  from  day  to  day  enjoy. 
The  benefit  of  quiet  repose,  the  renewal  of  my  strength, 
the  light  which  I  enjoy,  and  the  better  light  of  life ;  these, 
and  all  the  mercies  which  surround  me  on  awaking,  call 
for  my  unfeigned  thanksgiving,  and  I  do  praise  and  bless 
thee  for  them.  Blessed  be  thou  for  redeeming  mercy. 
Blessed  be  thou  that  Jesus  died  for  sinners,  even  for  me. 
Thanks  be  unto  thee,  that  grace,  pardon,  peace,  strength, 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  eternal  life,  are  given  to  sinners,  through 
faith  in  Christ.  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  to  be 
kings  and  priests  unto  God,  and  his  Father,  to  him  be  glory 
and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.    Amen. 

Intercession. 

O  Lord  God,  let  the  bright  glory  and  happy  dominion  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  spread  through  the  world.  Increase 
both  the  number  and  the  zeal  of  those  seeking  the  good 
of  Sion,  and  the  enlargement  of  thy  Son's  kingdom.  Grant 
thy  blessing  to  every  effort  to  make  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ  known  to  the  Gentiles.  Give  unto  thy  people 
Israel  the  new  heart  and  the  new  spirit.  Bless  our  favored 
country,  so  that  it  may  be  a  highly-honored  instrument  in 
diffusing  the  light  of  truth  abroad ;  and  grant  that  every 
exertion  for  that  end  may  be  a  means  of  reviving  true  re- 
ligion in  all  our  hearts  at  home.  Bless  all  in  authority. 
Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with  righteousness,  and  thy  peo- 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  197 

pie  sing  for  joy.  May  peace  and  mercy  be  granted  to  all 
my  relatives,  and  rest  on  my  own  soul,  and  in  my  own  family. 
May  we,  and  all  thy  people,  be  united  in  one  heart  and 
mind  in  thy  service  and  love,  praying  for  each  other,  bear- 
ing one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfilling  the  law  of  Christ 
Hear  me,  for  his  name's  sake.  Amen. 
Our  Father,  &c. 


ANOTHER    PRIVATE    MORNING    PRAYER. 

Almighty  and  heavenly  Father,  who  art  about  my  path, 
and  about  my  bed,  and  spiest  out  all  my  ways ;  I  come  to 
thee  in  the  name  of  thy  beloved  Son,  and  in  obedience  to 
his  directions,  to  enter  my  closet,  and  shut  to  my  door,  and 
pray  to  my  Father  which  is  in  secret. 

Thou,  O  Lord,  art  a  shield  for  me,  my  glory,  and  the 
lifter  up  of  mine  head.  I  laid  me  down,  and  slept ;  I  awak- 
ed, for  thou.  Lord,  sustained  me.  For  restored  light,  for 
life,  and  health,  and  strength,  I  praise  and  bless  thee. 
Thou,  Lord,  only,  keepest  me  in  safety,  and  free  from  evil. 
Thou  providest  for  all  my  wants.  May  my  soul,  and  all 
that  is  within  me,  magnify  God  for  all  his  goodness,  and 
especially  for  his  w^onderful  mercy  in  redeeming  sinners 
by  Jesus  Christ ;  for  the  light  of  that  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness, which  arises  with  healing  in  his  wings  on  benighted 
Bouls ;  for  all  the  blessings  of  free  salvation  through  him, 
all  the  means  of  grace,  and  the  hope  of  future  glory. 

Sad  are  the  returns  which  I  have  made  for  so  many  mer- 
cies. How  ungrateful  have  I  been !  I  acknowledge  and 
bewail  my  manifold  sins  and  rebellions.  I  was  born  in  sin, 
and  a  child  of  wrath,  and  I  find  continually  the  flesh  lusting 
against  the  spirit  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh,  so  that  I 
cannot  do  the  things  that  I  would.  I  am  guilty,  sinful,  and 
weak.  Lord,  save  me,  or  I  perish.  I  entirely  depend  on 
thy  mercy,  in  Christ  Jesus,  for  the  gift  and  continuance  of 
every  good,  and  for  deliverance  from  all  those  evils  which 
I  have  justly  deserved. 

For  that  mercy  I  now  earnestly  look  to  thee,  O  Father 
of  mercies.  Remember  me,  O  Lord,  with  the  favor  that 
thou  bearest  unto  thy  people.  O  visit  me  with  thy  salva- 
tion ;  that  I  may  see  the  good  of  thy  chosen,  that  I  may 
rejoice  in  the  gladness  of  thy  nation,  that  I  may  glory  with 
thine  inheritance.  May  the  grace  of  God  which  bringeth 
R2 


198  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

salvation,  teach  me,  and  all  men,  to  deny  ungodliness  and 
worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in 
this  present  world.  Enable  me  now,  and  ever  hereafter, 
to  seek  the  glory  of  thy  holy  name,  by  fulfilling  Qvery  duty 
of  my  station  conscientiously  and  diligently. 

Give  me  grace  to  be  continually  looking  to  thee,  through 
this  day,  for  direction,  assistance,  and  strength.  Be  thou  in 
all  my  thoughts,  and  let  me  acknowledge  thee  in  all  my 
ways. 

Give  me  the  same  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  that  I 
may  be  humble,  patient,  gentle,  and  full  of  love,  even  as 
he  was.  Teach  me  to  be  poor  in  spirit,  and  meek ;  to  mourn 
for  sin,  and  to  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness ;  and 
thus  shall  I  obtain  the  blessings  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
Grant  that  I  may  love  that  Savior  whom  I  have  not  seen, 
and  believing  in  him  may  I  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable 
and  full  of  glory. 

And  here,  constrained  by  thy  mercies,  I  would  afresh 
present  my  body  a  living  sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  unto 
thee,  which  is  my  reasonable  service.  I  renew  in  thy  pres- 
ence all  the  solemn  vows  made  in  Baptism  and  at  thy  Ta- 
ble, renouncing  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  Devil ;  and 
stedfastly  purposing,  by  thy  help,  to  keep  thy  holy  will  and 
commandments,  and  walk  in  the  same,  this  and  every  day 
of  my  life.  I  take  thee,  O  God,  for  my  portion,  and  thy  laws 
as  my  rule,  and  thy  service  as  my  duty,  entreating  thee  to 
give  me  grace  that  I  may  be  wholly  thine. 

And  O  that  all  mankind  knew  and  served  thee.  Grant 
that  the  kingdom  which  is  righteousness,  and  peace,  and 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  may  be  established  in  every  land,  in 
every  heart.  Fulfil  thy  gracious  promises.  Send  thy  Gos- 
pel to  the  Gentiles,  and  let  them  be  turned  from  darkness 
to  light.  Let  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  speedily  become 
the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  his  Christ,  that  he  may  reign 
for  ever. 

Grant  the  abundance  of  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  the  ministers 
of  Christ  everywhere,  and  especially  to  him  who  watches 
over  my  soul.  Bless  the  place  and  the  neighborhood  in 
which  I  live,  and  prosper  every  effort  to  do  good. 

Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  also,  to  bless  my  more  immediate 
relations.  Regard  with  thy  favor  my  parents,  my  brothers 
and  sisters,  my  benefactors  and  friends,  my  connexions  and 
acquain  ance.     Look  upon  them  m  mercy,  and  vioit  thera 


A    TREATISE    OX    PRAYER.  199 

with  thy  salvation.     Hear  these  prayers,  for  the  only  sake 
<rf"  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.    Amen. 
Our  Father,  &c. 

PRIVATE   PRAYER   Af   NOON. 

0  Lord  God  Almig-hty,  my  God,  my  refuge,  and  my 
streng-th,  incline  my  heart  to  seek  thee  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  hear  my  prayer  for  his  sake. 

It  is  one  of  my  highest  privileges,  and  of  m}''  greatest 
mercies,  that  thine  ear  is  ever  open  to  the  prayer  of  those 
that  call  upon  thee.  Give  me,  then,  thy  Spirit,  that  I  may 
at  all  times  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.  At  evening, 
at  morning,  and  at  noon-day,  will  I  pray,  and  thou  shalt 
hear  my  voice. 

1  am,  indeed,  a  sinful  and  a  needy  creature.  My  wants 
are  many,  and  my  necessities  ^re  urgent.  My  faith  is 
weak,  my  repentance  imperfect,  my  affections  are  wander- 
ing ;  my  heart  is  hard,  my  pride  is  great,  and  my  sins  are 
innumerable.  I  fail  continually  both  in  love  to  thee  and  love 
to  my  neig-hbor,  and  am  verily  guilty  and  deeply  polluted 
in  thy  sight 

Yet  still,  O  Lord,  though  I  have  sinned,  I  have  an  advo- 
cate with  thee,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous,  who  is  the  pro- 
pitiation for  our  sins.  O  grant  me  faith  in  him,  that  I  may 
be  justified  freely  by  thy  grace,  through  his  redemption ; 
be  accepted  in  that  beloved  Son ;  and  be  a  partaker  of  his 
Spirit. 

Lord,  make  me  hate  and  lothe  every  iniquity.  Strength- 
en me  to  resist  every  temptation.  Give  me  grace  to  put 
my  whole  trust  in  thee,  to  love  thee  supremely  and  con- 
stantly, to  honor  thy  holy  name,  and  to  serve  thee  truly  al.* 
the  days  of  my  life.  Teach  me  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God, 
and  let  thy  good  Spirit  lead  me  into  the  land  of  upright- 
ness. Give  me  grace  to  love  my  neighbor  as  myself,  to 
reverence  my  superiors,  to  hurt  no  one,  to  be  temperate 
and  chaste.  Let  me  not  be  slothful  in  business,  but  fer- 
vent in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord. 

Lord,  hast  tliou  not  said,  when  the  poor  and  needy  seek 
water,  and  there  is  none,  and  their  tongue  fiileth  for  thirst ; 
I  the  Lord  will  hear  them,  I  the  God  of  Israel  will  not  for- 
sake them  1  O  Lord,  I  am  poor  and  needy,  and  my  soul 
thirsteth  for  thee.     Hear  me ;  let  me  d-rink  of  the  wateis 


200  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

of  life — ^never  leave  me,  nor  forsake  me.  Let  me  find  thee, 
and  live  in  thy  presence,  where  alone  is  fullness  of  joy. 

Grant,  Lord  of  all  power  and  love,  that  thy  glory  may  be 
revealed  to  the  heathen,  and  that  all  flesh  may  see  it  to- 
gether. Lift  up  the  lio-ht  of  thy  countenance  upon  thy 
people.  Build  up  the  waste  places  of  Sion.  Send  laborers 
into  thy  vineyard. 

Bless  all  in  authority,  the  Ministers  of  thy  Gospel,  and 
all  the  people.  Impart  thy  mercy  and  grace  to  my  dear 
relations,  to  all  who  pray  for  me,  and  all  for  whom  I  ought 
to  pray.  Be  gracious  to  those  in  distress.  Grant  to  mine 
enemies,  if  I  have  any,  thy  pardoning  mercy  and  sanctify- 
ing Spirit,  and  reward  seven-fold  into  their  bosom  those 
from  I  have  received  benefits  and  kindness. 

Lord  God  of  my  salvation,  every  day  will  I  bless  thee, 
and  I  will  praise  thy  name  for  ever  and  ever.  Great  is  the 
Lord,  and  greatly  to  be  praised,  and  his  greatness  is  un- 
searchable. The  Lord  is  gracious  and  full  of  compassion, 
slow  to  anger,  and  of  great  mercy.  Thou  keepest  me  from 
day  to  day  in  safety,  and  liast  blessed  me  with  innumerable 
merdies. 

I  thank  thee  for  every  prayer  heard  and  answered,  and 
for  every  good  received.  But  thou  hast  commended  thy 
love  above  all,  in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners  Christ 
died  for  us.  He  shed  his  blood  for  me ;  and  how  can  I  love, 
and  praise,  and  serve  thee  as  I  oug-ht !  O  help  me  to  live  in 
all  things  to  thy  glory,  for  the  only  sake  of  Jesus  Christ, 
my  Lord  and  Savior. 

Our  Father,  &c. 

[As  some  may  be  desirous  to  give  the  whole  time  of 
midday  prayer  to  intercession,  the  following  intercessory 
prayer  is  added.] 


INTERCESSORY    PRAYER   AT   NOON. 

Almighty  Father  who  would  have  all  men  to  be  saved 
and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  permit  me  now  to 
approach  thee,  through  Jesus  Christ,  in  behalf  of  all  those 
for  whom  I  ought  to  pray. 

Lord,  bless  thy  church  throughout  the  world.  Let  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  rise  upon  it  in  every  place.  I  humbly 
pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem.  Grace  be  with  all  them 
that  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.     Grant  tliat 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  201 

they  that  believe  in  him  may  stand  fast,  in  one  spirit,  with 
one  mixid,  striving-  together  for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel,  and 
send  tliem  now  prosperity. 

Bless  that  particular  branch  of  thy  church  to  which  I  be- 
lono-.  May  it  continue  to  be  favored  with  the  advantages 
which  it  now  enjoys.  God  of  all  grace,  grant  that  thy 
ministering  servants  in  all  the  earth  may  be  dead  to  the 
world  and  alive  to  Christ,  and  faithfully  and  continually 
preach  the  doctrines  of  his  salvation.  If  any  preach  them- 
selves, and  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  O  God,  change  thou 
their  hearts,  show  them  their  danger,  teach  them  thy  truth, 
and  enable  them  to  proclaim  it  to  others.  Give  wisdom, 
grace,  and  every  blessing,  to  that  minister  from  whom  I 
hear  thy  word. 

And  I  pray  thee,  great  Lord  of  the  harvest,  who  seest 
and  knowest  all  men,  and  hast  the  hearts  of  all  in  thy  con- 
trol, bless  all  Universities,  Seminaries,  and  Schools,  that  in 
them,  the  youno-  may  be  trained  up  in  the  fear  of  God  and 
the  faith  of  Christ,  Give  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  all  preparing 
for  the  ministry.  Send  forth  into  thy  vineyard,  both  in  our 
own  country  and  in  every  land,  men  of  an  enlightened 
mind  and  a  devout  heart,  men  of  patient  perseverance,  of 
firm  resolution,  of  entire  dedication  of  body  and  soul  to 
their  work,  of  a  wise  and  sober  judgment,  and  of  unquench- 
able love  to  immortal  souls. 

Give  thy  blessing  to  all  in  authority,  that  they  may  use 
the  means  which  thou  hast  given  them  in  the  spread  of  true 
religion.  Lord,  instruct  our  Magistrates,  and  teach  our 
Senators  wisdom,  that  judgment  may  run  down  as  waters, 
and  righteousness  as  a  mighty  stream.  Grant  that  every- 
where such  men  as  Nehemiah  and  Daniel  may  be  raised  up 
to  offices  in  the  state — men  who  shall  disinterestedly  labor 
and  pray  for  the  advancement  of  righteousness,  and  truth, 
and  peace. 

Our  national  sins  call  indeed  for  judgment;  but  grant 
that  mercy  may  rejoice  over  judgment,  and  grace  abound 
over  sin.  Give  us,  t  beseech  thee,  those  temporal  and  spirit- 
ual blessings  which  we  deserve  not,  for  to  thee  belongeth 
mercies  and  forgiveness  of  sins. 

Grant  that  the  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified  may  be  every- 
where preached.  Let  such  as  now  are  Christians  in  name 
only,  being  taught  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Chrisi,  seek 
the  life  and  power  of  religion ;  may  the  Jews,  hearing  of 


202  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

Christ  Jesus,  look  unto  him  whom  they  have  pierced,  and 
mourn  ;  and  may  the  Gentiles  be  given  to  him.  So. let  the 
earlh  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Ijord,  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea. 

May  such  an  effusion  of  thy  Spirit  be  shed  on  all  flesh, 
that  every  tongue  may  joyfully  sing  the  angelic  song, 
"Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  good-will  to- 
wards men." 

Bestow  thy  grace  abundantly  on  my  brethren  and  kins- 
men, according  to  the  flesh,  my  parents,  brothers,  and  sis- 
ters, and  all  my  relatives,  my  servants,  my  Christian  friends, 
neighbors,  and  connexions.  If  any  hate  or  revile  me.  Lord, 
teach  me  to  bless  them — If  any  despitefully  use  me  or  per- 
secute me,  I  now  pray  to  thee  in  their  behalf  Father,  for- 
give them,  and  do  them  good. 

Look  on  the  destitute  and  afflicted ;  let  their  afflictions 
lead  them  to  thee,  that  they  rnay  find  God  their  refuge  and 
strength,  a  very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble ;  and  though 
the  chastening  be  Grievous,  may  they  experience  that  it 
yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness. 

Finally,  O  Lord  God,  quicken  all  those  that  are  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins ;  grant  that  those  beginning  to  know 
the  truth  may  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord,  those  that  are 
weak  in  faith  may  wax  strong,  those  that  have  backslidden 
may  be  healed,  those  that  are  strong  may  be  confirmed 
more  and  more,  and  go  from  strength  to  strength  till  they 
appear  in  Sion.  Thanks  be  to  thee  for  all  thy  servants  de- 
parted this  life  in  thy  faith  and  fear.  Shortly  accomplish 
the  number  of  thine  elect,  and  hasten  thy  kingdom,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  and  Savior.  Amen.* 


PRIVATE    EVENING    PRAYER. 

Gracious  and  merciful  God,  slow  to  anger,  great  in  power, 
and  rich  in  mercy  to  all  them  that  call  upon  thee,  help  me 
now  so,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  to  ask,  that  1  may  have ; 
and  so  to  seek  that  I  may  find. 

*  Some  have  found  it  advantageous  to  give  particular  days  for 
panicular  parts  of  intercession,  as  follows  : — Sunday,  Ministei-s  and 
Christian  Corigregalions. — Momjay,  Family. — Tuesday,  relations, 
friends,  and  enemies. — Wkdnesday,  our  C'ountry. — Thursday, 
Benevolent  and  Religious  Societies. — Friday,  The  Church  through- 
out the  world. — Satlrday,  Jews, Gentiles,  and  unconverted  persona. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  203 

Enter  not  into  judgment  with  me,  O  Lord,  for  in  thy 
Bight  I  cannot  be  justified.  However  unblamable  I  may 
appear  before  men,  before  Him  who  knows  the  heart  I  con- 
fess and  would  mourn  over  innumerable  sins  in  the  past 
day,  and  in  every  day  of  my  life. 

I  acknowledoe  with  shame  and  sorrow  my  hypocrisy  and 
pride,  my  vanity  and  selfishness,  my  unbelief  and  impa- 
tience, my  self-indulgence  and  self-righteousness,  my  ob- 
stinacy and  self-will,  my  disregard  of  thy  law  and  thy  glory, 
my  living  to  myself  and  not  to  thee.  And,  O  how  hard  is 
my  heart,  that  feels  so  little  the  guilt  and  the  evil  of  so 
many  and  such  great  sins ! 

Lord  of  all  power  and  might,  soften  and  break  this  hard 
heart.  Give  me  a  contrite  spirit.  There  is  mercy  with 
thee.  Tiiere  is  forgiveness  with  thee.  O  may  thy  great 
mercy  be  displayed  towards  rne,  in  pardoning  all  my  sins, 
and  in  renewing  my  soul.  Give  me  patience,  faith,  and 
self-denial.  Bestow  on  me  the  graces  of  sincerity,  humility, 
and  love. 

May  the  love  of  Christ  be  more  known  and  felt  by  me, 
and  let  it  constrain  me  to  live  not  to  myself,  but  to  hhn 
that  died  for  me.  Grant  me  thy  Holy  Spirit,  teaching  those 
things  of  which  I  am  ignorant,  taking  of  the  things  of 
Christ  to  show  them  unto  me,  and  daily  sanctifying  my 
heart. 

I  ask  for  heavenly  wisdom,  holy  simplicity,  ardent  zeal, 
and  purity  of  heart.  Incline  me  to  study  to  be  quiet,  and 
to  do  my  own  business,  and  to  work  with  my  own  hands. 
Prepare  me,  day  by  day,  more  and  more,  for  the  coming  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Make  me  meet  to  be  a  partaker  of 
the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 

Lcommend  myself  to  thy  care  during  the  night.  May  I 
lay  down  at  peace  with  thee,  through  Christ,  and  in  peace 
with  all  the  world. 

O  Lord,  thougii  I  be  unworthy  through  my  manifold 
transgressions  to  approach  thee  at  all,  yet  thou  hast  com- 
manded that  intercessions  be  made  for  all  men ;  hear  me, 
therefore,  unworthy  though  I  be,  in  behalf  of  all  that  need 
my  prayers.  May  the  Lord  comfort  his  people,  and  have 
mercy  upon  his  afflicted.  I^et  all  nations  whom  thou  hast 
made  come  and  worship  before  thee  and  glorify  thy  name. 
Let  every  obstacle  which  may  hinder  the  progress  of  thy 
truth  be  removed  in  mercy.     Bless  all  the  members  of  the 


204  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

Church  of  Christ,  and  all  his  ministers,  and  especially 
those  with  whom  I  am  more  intimately  connected. 

Give  to  my  parents,  my  brothers,  my  sisters,  and  my  re- 
latives, all  those  temporal  and  spiritual  blessings  of  wliich 
they  stand  in  need.  Bless  my  superiors,  my  comi:)anions, 
and  all  about  me.  Continue  the  blessing  of  peace  to  my 
country.  Pardon  any  who  may  have  injured  mo ;  and  if  I 
have  injured  any,  may  I  be  ready  to  confess  my  fault?  and 
to  make  restitution  for  any  wrong  done,  and  may  they  be 
disposed  to  forgive  me. 

I  would  not,  O  thou  gracious  giver  of  every  good,  close 
my  evening  prayer,  without  offering  up,  through  Christ 
Jesus,  my  sincerest  thanksgiving  for  all  the  mercies  of  the 
past  day.  For  any  help  vouchsafed  in  my  duties ;  for  any 
stand  which  I  may  have  been  enabled  to  make  against  sin, 
Satan,  and  the  world;  for  any  measure  of  light,  knowledge, 
or  grace,  given  unto  me,  all  praise,  all  glory  be  to  thee.  If 
I  am  still  kept  in  thy  way,  and  yet  spared  from  that  ruin 
which  I  have  deserved,  while  I  live,  let  me  praise  and 
bless  thee. 

How  great  is  the  sum  of  thy  mercies !  When  I  look 
back  on  thy  past  blessings,  when  I  read  thy  promises  re- 
lating to  that  which  is  to  come,  and  when  1  look  around 
me  on  every  side,  and  especially  when  I  regard  that  cross 
on  which  thy  Son  died  for  sinners,  I  would  say  from  the 
heart.  My  mouth  shall  speak  the  praise  of  the  Lord,  and  let 
all  flesh  bless  his  holy  name  for  ever.     Amen  and  Amen. 

Hear  me,  for  the  only  sake  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Our  Father,  &c. 


ANOTHER   PRIVATE    EVENING   PRAYER. 

Almighty  God,  Father  of  mercies,  and  God  of  all  com- 
fort, according  to  thy  gracious  promise,  give  me  thy  Holy 
Spirit,  to  help  my  infirmities,  and  enable  me,  in  the  name, 
and  through  the  mediation  of  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord,  to  call  upon  thee. 

Great  is  thy  goodness  to  us  sinners,  in  that  we,  who 
have  grievously  offended  thee,  have  such  a  mediator,  who 
ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us.  Without  a  Savior 
I  can  have  no  hope ;  for  I  have  sinned  against  thee,  and 
done  evil  in  thy  sight  day  by  day. 

I  confess  and  mourn  before  thee  the  manifold  sins  of  the 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  205 

past  day.*  I  daily  offend  thee  by  pride,  impenitence,  hard- 
ness of  heart,  unbelief,  and  forgetfulness  of  thee,  and  in 
many  other  ways  :  leaving-  undone  the  things  which  I  ought 
to  have  done,  and  doing  those  which  I  ought  not. 

Lord,  let  thy  Holy  Spirit  convince  me  of  my  sinfulness. 
I  pray  that  I  may  see  more  of  the  extent  of  my  iniquities, 
and  feel  more  of  their  guilt.  Thus  may  I  be  led  to  hate 
sin,  and  to  feel  the  need  and  value  of  that  Savior  who  came 
to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost.  Grant  that  I  may 
be  a  partaker  of  His  great  salvation.  Whatever  else  I 
lose,  may  I  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him. 

Lord,  I  am  unclean ;  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me 
clean.  I  believe  that  thou  art  able,  I  believe  that  thou  art 
v/illing.     Lord,  help  my  unbelief;  Lord,  make  me  clean. 

Give  me,  I  beseech  thee,  such  a  sense  of  thy  mercy  in 
free  forgiveness,  through  the  blood  of  Christ,  that  I  may  be 
constrained  to  present  my  body  a  living  sacrifice  unto  thee. 
Enable  me  daily  to  crucify  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  Give  me 
such  a  measure  of  thy  grace,  that  all  the  powers  of  my 
mind,  all  the  affections  of  my  heart,  all  the  members  of  my 
body,  and  all  the  talents  intrusted  to  me,  may  be  unreserv- 
edly engaged  for  thee.  Lord,  incline  me  to  spend  myself 
and  be  spent  for  thee :  strengthen  my  desire  to  do  so,  and 
enable  me  ever  hereafter  to  bring  this  desire  to  good  effect 

Let  the  number  of  thv  willing  and  devoted  servants  be 
everywhere  increased.  Be  thou  exalted,  O  God,  above 
the  heavens,  and  thy  glory  above  all  the  earth.  Pour  out 
thy  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  that  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  may 
remember  and  turn  unto  the  Lord,  and  all  the  kindreds  of 
the  nations  may  worship  before  thee.  Let  thy  great  name, 
now  so  little  known,  and  so  much  profaned,  be  magnified 
and  sanctified  in  every  country  and  by  every  tongue. 

Bless  the  land  in  which  I  dwell :  its  government,  the 
ministers  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  all  its  people.  May  we  be 
a  people  fearmg  God  and  working  righteousness.  Look 
with  thilie  especial  favor  on  my  relatives  and  friends,  my 
family  connexions  and  acquaintance.  May  they  all  be 
partakers  of  the  grace  of  Christ  here,  and  of  his  glory  here- 
after. 

I  will  bless  the  Lord  at  all  times,  his  praise  shall  con- 
tinually be  in  my  mouth.     O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  with' 

*  Here  state  those  sins  of  which  your  conscience  accuses  you. 


206  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

in  me,  bless  his  holy  name ;  bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and 
forget  not  all  his  benefits.  How  great  and  how  numerous 
they  are  I 

Blessed  be  the  Lord  who  daily  loadeth  us  with  benefits. 
All  the  temporal  mercies  granted  so  abundantly  to  me,  my 
food,  my  clothing,  my  home,  my  friends,  the  daily  provis- 
ions for  my  various  necessities,  these  are  from  thee,  who 
openest  thy  hand  and  fillest  all  things  living  with  plente- 
ousness.  But,  above  all,  blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spirit- 
ual blessings  in  heavenly  things  in  Christ  Jesus.  Thanks 
be  unto  God  for  his  unspeakable  gift. 

Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible,  the  only 
wise  God,  be  honor  and  glory  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

These  prayers  and  praises  I  offer  up  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Savior  of  perishing  sinners :  trusting 
only  in  his  mediation  and  merits.     Amen. 

Our  Father,  &c. 

PRAYER   BEFORE   THE   LORd's   SUPPER. 

O  Thou,  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father 
of  glory,  I  approach  thee  as  my  God  and  my  Father,  through 
thy  Son,  our  Savior  and  intercessor. 

Invited  to  partake  of  the  memorial  of  his  dying  love,  and 
to  join  thy  people  in  remembering  him,  T  come  to  thee  for 
the  gifl  of  all  dispositions  suitable  to  a  service  so  solemn 
and  so  affecting. 

Deliver  me,  I  beseech  thee,  from  all  careless,  vain,  and 
trifling  thoughts ;  let  me  lay  aside  the  world  and  its  vani- 
ties; let  me  renounce  all  self-righteousness  and  supersti- 
tions, and  come  as  an  humble  penitent,  expecting  to  discover 
fresh  views  of  my  Savior's  glory  and  goodness,  and  to  re- 
ceive from  him  fresh  strength  to  gloriiy  his  name. 

O  Lord,  thou  hast  warned  me  against  eating  this  bread, 
and  drinking  this  cup  unworthily.  God  of  mercy  preserve 
me  from  so  great  a  sin.  Thou  hast  directed,  Let  a  man 
examine  himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that  bread,  and  drink 
of  that  cup;  I  beseech  thee,  incline  and  enable  me  to  ex- 
amine myself,  to  inquire  into  my  motives  in  coming,  to 
look  back  on  my  life,  and  to  compare  my  thoughts,  words, 
and  works,  with  thy  holy  law. 

If  I  have  wronged  others,  Lord,  dispose  and  assist  me  to 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 


207 


make  reparation.  Wherein  I  have  offended  thee,  give  me 
that  godly  sorrow  that  works  repentance  unto  salvation. 
Let  thy  Holy  Spirit  convince  me  of  my  fallen  and  guilty 
state  before  thee.  Take  away  the  heart  of  stone,  and  give 
me  the  heart  of  flesh — the  broken  and  contrite  spirit.    And 

0  grant  unto  me  full  purpose  of  heart  to  forsake  every  sin, 
whatever  it  may  cost  me ;  however  habitual  it  may  have 
become.  Search  thou  me,  O  Lord,  and  know  my  heart ; 
try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts,  and  see  if  there  be  any- 
wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me  into  the  way  everlasting. 

Let  the  conviction  of  my  exceeding  sinfulness  lead  me 
cordially  and  gratefully  to  accept  my  Savior's  gracious  in- 
vitations, and  come  weary  and  heavily  laden  unto  him. 
May  I  go  to  thy  table  mourning  for  sin,  and  hungering  and 
thirsting  after  righteousness,  believing  in  Christ  as  my 
only  hope  and  refuge,  grateful  for  all  thy  mercies,  and  with 
a  heart  full  of  love  to  thee  and  all  mankind. 

Lord,  I  implore  thy  special  grace  at  this  solemn  ordi- 
nance. In  the  breaking  of  bread,  help  me,  by  a  living 
faith,  to  view  Christ's  body  broken  for  me  ;  and  in  the  pour- 
ing out  of  the  wine,  his  blood  shed  for  me.  May  I  thus 
learn  to  feel  more  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  more  of  the  love 
of  Christ.  Help  me  wisely,  believingly,  and  gratefully  to 
discern  the  Lord's  body ;  and  may  it  be  as  living  food  to 
my  soul,  so  that  now  resting  on  the  atonement  of  Christ, 
my  Lord,  I  may  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  his  great  salvation. 
May  he  thus  be  evidently  set  forth  crucified  before  me,  and 
may  I  enjoy  the  communion  of  his  body  and  his  blood. 

Gracious  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  enable  me,  when  I  re- 
ceive the  bread,  by  a  lively  faith  to  realize  the  blessed 
truth,  that  Christ  died  for  sinners,  even  for  me ;  and  when 

1  drink  the  wine,  to  believe  according  to  his  own  word, 
that  his  blood  was  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
May  I  then  afresh  give  myself  wholly  to  thee,  to  be  entire- 
ly thine,  in  life,  in  death,  and  through  eternity ;  renewing 
all  my  solemn  vows  of  obedience,  and  receiving  fresh 
strength  to  carry  them  into  effect. 

Grant  also  unto  all  that  shall  meet  with  me  around  thy 
table  the  same  blessings.  Let  our  hearts  be  drawn  near 
to  each  other.  Give  us  to  enter  into  the  privilege  of  the 
communion  of  saints ;  and  may  we  know  that,  though  many, 
we  are  one  body,  and  all  partakers  of  that  one  bread,  the 
living  and  true  bread  that  came  down  from  heaven 


208  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

O  Ijord,  may  we  and  all  thy  people  thus  assembling  in 
thine  earthly  courts,  be  made  more  and  more  meet  for  thy 
heavenly  mansions,  and  at  length  come  to  sit  down  with 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven; 
may  we  meet  again  there,  where  faith  shall  be  lost  in  sight, 
and  hope  in  full  enjoyment,  and  love  for  ever  fill  all  our 
souls,  through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Strength  and  our  Redeem- 
er.    Amen. 

PRAYER  AFTER  THE  LORd's  SUPPER. 

Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly 
places  in  Christ.  Help  me,  holy  Lord,  coming  now  to  thee 
in  secret,  gratefully  to  pour  out  my  soul  before  thee. 

O  thou  who  dwellest  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  whose 
name  is  holy,  I  feel  that  I  infinitely  need  pardon  for  the 
sins  of  my  holiest  services.  If  thou,  Lord,  be  extreme  to 
mark  what  has  been  amiss,  I  cannot  stand  before  thee ;  I 
have  cause  to  mourn  the  wanderings  of  my  heart,  the  dull- 
ness of  my  affections,  the  weakness  of  my  faith,  and  the 
slightness  of  my  repentance,  even  at  thy  table,  with  all  the 
solemnities  of  the  memorials  of  my  Savior's  death  around 
me,  and  amid  the  assembly  of  thy  saints. 

But  while  I  mourn  my  own  sinfulness,  yet  still  help  me 
to  magnify  thy  wonderful  grace.  Blessed  be  thou  who 
put  it  into  my  heart  to  assemble  with  thy  people. 

Great  is  the  privilege  thus  to  meet  among  them  here  be- 
low, to  participate  in  their  prayers,  and  to  join  in  their 
praises. — Thanks  be  unto  thee  for  that  manifestation  of 
thy  love  which  this  ordinance  brought  before  me.  O  how 
consoling  the  truth  to  such  a  sinner  as  I  am,  that  Jesus  died 
for  the  ungodly,  that  he  receiveth  sinners  and  eateth  with 
them! 

Giver  of  all  grace,  if  I  enjoyed  any  feelings  of  love  to 
thee,  any  desires  after  thy  salvation,  any  thing  of  com- 
munion with  thee;  if  my  hope  were  at  all  enlivened,  my 
faith  at  all  strengthened,  my  heart  at  all  enlarged,  all  praise 
and  glory  be  to  thee.  I  would  not  deny  thy  answers  to  my 
prayer ;  I  would  not  refuse  to  acknowledge  the  work  of  thy 
Spirit  on  my  soul ;  but  rather,  in  this  thy  goodness,  find 
fresh  motives  to  love  and  to  serve  thee.  Forgive  me  all 
that  was  wrong.  Accept,  through  the  mediation  of  Jesu.s, 
all  that  thy  grace  enabled  me  to  do  according  to  thv  will. 


A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER.  209 

Teach  me  to  feel  that  I  am  under  fresh  oblicrations  to  all 
holy  obedience.  May  the  solid  and  delightful  joys  of  peace 
with  God,  the  pardon  of  sins,  free  justification,  and  the  hope 
of  glory,  make  the  sinful  pleasures  of  the  world  for  ever  in- 
sipid and  vain.  Havhig  seen  and  tasted  how  good  the  Lord 
is,  may  I  never  turn  back  again  to  folly. 

O  Lord,  now  it  is  I  need  thy  strength.  Now  grant  me 
thy  Holy  Spirit,  continually  to  bring  to  my  remembrance 
the  solemn  transactions  of  this  day.  May  the  recollection 
of  them  long  remain,  filling  me  with  a  holy  fear  of  offend- 
ing thee,  an  ardent  love  to  my  Savior,  and  influencing  me 
to  devote  my  body,  soul,  and  substance,  all  I  am,  and  all  I 
have,  wholly  to  thee. 

Lord,  now  grant  that  my  evil  tempers  may  at  length  be 
subdued :  that  the  flesh  with  its  affections  and  lusts  may, 
through  thy  Spirit,  at  length  be  mortified ;  that  Christ 
may  now  dwell  in  my  heart  by  faith :  and  that,  strong  in 
the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his  miglit,  I  may  fulfil  in  my 
life  all  the  solemn  vows  and  resolutions  that  have  been 
afresh  renewed  this  day  in  thy  presence. 

Yes,  gracious  God,  let  me  never  cease  striving  to  serve 
thee ;  let  me  never,  while  the  world  tempts,  and  sin  dwells 
in  me,  and  Satan  opposes,  give  over  the  contest ;  let  me 
never  rest  short  of  thy  great  salvation.  O  thou  good  Shep- 
herd, who  laid  down  thy  life  for  thy  sheep,  let  me  never 
perish,  neither  let  any  pluck  me  out  of  thy  hand ;  till  at 
length,  with  all  thine  elect,  I  come  to  occupy  thy  fold 
above^^ 

Hear  me,  gracious  Father ;  hear  and  answer,  for  Christ's 
sake.  Amen. 

MORNING    FAMILY  PRAYER, 

Almighty  God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of 
whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named,  who 
hast  said  that  thou  wilt  be  the  God  of  all  the  families  of 
Israel,  and  they  shall  be  thy  people ;  dispose  our  hearts,  by 
the  gracious  influence  of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  worship  thee 
through  one  Mediator,  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Adoration. 
[*Thou   art  God,  and  there  is  none  beside  thee:   the 

*  The  parts  in  brackets  can  be  left  out,  if  it  is  vi'ished  to  shorten 
the  prayers. 

S2 


210  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

Creator  of  lieaven  and  earth,  the  Lord  of  glory,  the  Lord 
God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  abundant  in 
goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousa.nds,  forgiving 
iniquity,  and  transgressions,  and  sin,  and  that  will  by  no 
means  clear  the  guilty.  We  bow  and  worship  at  thy  foot- 
stool ;  we  acknowledge  thee  to  be  the  Lord.] 

Thanksgiving. 

Accept,  through  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  our  un- 
feigned thanksgivings  for  the  mercies  of  another  day.  Thou 
gavest  us  our  being,  and  thou  preservest  us  from  day  to 
day.  Through  the  defenceless  hours  of  the  night  thou  hast 
kept  us  in  safety.  Tliou  hast  given  us  a  soul  capable  of 
knowing  and  rejoicing  in  thee,  and  a  body  by  which  we 
may  serve  thee. 

[We  bless  thee  for  the  seeing  eye,  and  the  hearing  ear, 
for  the  free  use  of  our  limbs  and  our  senses,  for  the  power 
of  the  mind,  and  the  affections  of  the  heart.] 

But,  O  Lord,  we  tliank  thee  most  of  all  for  thy  spiritual 
blessings.  We  bless  thee  that  we  were  not  born  in  heathen 
lands,  but  in  this  favored  country,  where  the  light  of  thy 
truth  clearly  shines.  We  thank  thee  for  the  comfort  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  for  the  labors  of  faithful  ministers,  and 
for  all  the  means  of  grace.  O  how  great  has  been  thy  love 
to  us !  Thou  sparedst  not  thine  own  Son,  but  deliveredst 
him  up  for  us  all,  and  with  him  thou  hast  freely  given  us 
all  things. 

[We  are  invited  to  come  to  thee ;  though  we  bo^guilty 
and  sinful,  we  are  freely  offered  pardon,  peace,  and  salva- 
tion ;  and  thou  givest  us  a  hope  full  of  immortality  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Savior.] 

Dedication. 
[Wliat  reward  shall  we  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits  ?  We  desire  now  afresh  to  devote  ourselves  to  thy 
service.  We  give  up  ourselves,  our  whole  selves  unto  thee. 
God  of  peace,  sanctify  us  wholly.  God  of  our  life,  grant 
that  our  whole  spirit,  and  soul,  and  body,  may  be  preserved 
blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.] 

Confession. 
But  with  shame  and  confusion  of  face,  we  would  con- 
fess that  we  have  been  rebellious  and  disobedient     Thou 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  211 

art  holy,  but  we  are  unholy.  Thou  art  merciful,  but  we 
have  often  been  selfish  and  unkind.  Thou  art  pure,  but  we 
are  impure.  Thou  art  patient,  but  we  are  impatient.  We 
have  abused  all  thy  gifts,  and  made  them  occasions  of  sin. 
l^rd,  ue  acknow.ledg-e  our  impenitence,  we  confess  our 
unbelief,  we  bewail  our  self-righteousness. 

PetitioTL 
Forgive  us  all  our  offences,  remember  not  against  us  our 
transgressions,  but  remember  thy  great  and  tender  mercies 
which  have  been  ever  of  old.  Grant  unto  every  one  of  us 
a  saving  interest  in  the  death  of  Christ,  full  and  free  for- 
giveness of  all  our  sins,  and  grace  and  strength  to  go  and 
sin  no  more.  Lord,  help  us  to  love  thee,  teach  us  to  serve 
thee.  Give  us  thy  strength  tliat  we  may  overcome  our  cor- 
rupt nature.  Grant  that  this  day  we  may  have  power  from 
on  high  to  resist  every  temptation,  to  confess  Christ  before 
men,  to  labor  stedfastly  with  a  single  eye  to  thy  glory,  to 
live  in  the  spirit  of  prayer,  in  faith,  humility,  self-denial, 
and  love,  and  to  walk  before  thee  in  that  narrow  way  which 
leads  to  eternal  life.  Fill  us  with  love  to  others.  Teach 
us  to  do  good  to  all  men,  [and  to  seek  according  to  our 
means  to  visit  and  relieve  the  fatherless  and  the  widows  in 
tJieir  affliction :]  and  do  thou  keep  us  unspotted  from  the 
world. 

Pleading. 

[Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake,  hear  us.  We  beseech  thee, 
according  to  thy  infinite  mercy,  give  us  grace  to  serve 
thee,  constantly  and  unfeignedly.  Herein  art  thou  glorified, 
that  we  bear  much  fruit.  For  thine  own  glory,  grant  us 
thy  Spirit,  that  we  may  bring  forth  all  the  fruits  of  righte- 
ousness.] 

Intercession. 

And  hear  us  farther  in  behalf  of  our  relations  and  friends, 
our  neighborhood,  our  JMinister,  and  all  for  whom  we  ought 
to  pray.  Help  those  that  are  weak.  Comfort  those  that 
are  cast  down.  Heal  those  that  are  sick.  Relieve  those 
that  are  in  distress.  Be  merciful  unto  thy  Church.  O  bless 
us,  and  cause  thy  face  to  shine  upon  us,  that  thy  way  may 
be  known  upon  earth,  thy  saving  health  among  all  nations. 
Bring  the  Gentiles  to  Christ.  Gather  thy  people  Israel  into 


212  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER, 

thy  fold. — Give  wisdom  and  power  to  every  effort  of  Chris- 
tian love  for  spreading  thy  Gospel.  Bless  all  societies 
formed  for  this  end,  and  let  those  who  support  and  condtict 
them  have  thy  direction  and  guidance.  Lord,  grant  that 
the  power  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  may  at  length  fully  tri- 
umph over  all  error  and  superstition,  all  idolatry,  and  delu- 
sion, and  sin. 

Gracious  Lord,  not  for  our  worthiness,  but  for  the  only 
name's  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  hear  these  our  prayers  which 
we  simi  up  in  his  own  words. 

Our  Father,  &c. 


ANOTHER    MOKNING    FAMILY    PRAYER. 

Almighty  God,  source  of  every  good,  and  fountain  of 
every  blessing,  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  in  him  our  God  and  Father,  give  us  the  Spirit 
of  adoption,  and  enable  us  to  cry,  Abba,  Father.  Help  us 
to  come  and  pour  out  our  hearts  before  thee  with  the  same 
contidence  and  affection  with  which  children  go  to  an 
earthly  parent.  Enable  us  to  repose  on  thy  love,  to  tell  thee 
all  our  desires,  and  all  our  sorrows ;  and,  from  the  heart,  to 
thank  thee  for  all  thy  goodness  to  us. 

Great  and  abundant  cause  we  have  to  bless  our  God  for 
all  that  he  is  in  himself,  and  for  all  that  he  is  to  us.  Thy 
mercies  are  nov/  every  morning.  We  thank  thee  that  we 
meet  together  in  peace  and  safety.  Thou  hast  been  our  de- 
fence and  our  refuge.  Let  then  the  outgoings  of  the  morn- 
ing and  of  the  evening  praise  thee. 

We  thank  thee  more  especially  for  all  the  mercies  of  re- 
demption. In  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  mercy  and  truth  meet 
together,  and  righteousness  and  peace  kiss  each  other. 
Thus  can  even  we  rejoice  in  thy  power  and  justice,  thy 
lioliness,  mercy,  and  love ;  and  bless  thee  that  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  of  this  thy  glory  shines,  in  the  hearts  of 
thy  people,  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  Blessed  be  tho 
the  just  God  and  the  Savior. 

d  how  unworthy  we  are  of  the  least  of  thy  mercies! 
We  are  all  sinful  and  guilty.  We  have  turned  every  one 
to  his  own  way.  We  would  give  thee  glory  by  an  ingen- 
uous and  free  confession  that  in  many  things  we  have  all 
offended  thco.  From  our  youth  up,  even  till  now»  we  have 
been  in  a  great  trespass. 


A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER,  213 

We  dare  not  justify  ourselves  in  thy  sight,  for  if  we 
should  attempt  it,  even  our  own  mouths  would  condemn  us. 
We  have  omitted  to  perform  many  plain  duties.  We  have 
done  many  things  for  which  our  consciences  justly  accuse 
us.  All  our  righteousnesses  are  defiled.  All  our  prayers  and 
services  are  polluted. 

[Yet  spare  us,  good  Lord,  spare  us,  according  to  thy  great 
compassion  and  thy  tender  mercy.  Lord  God  of  our  salva- 
tion, it  is  thy  gracious  promise,  on  which  our  souls  rely,  that 
if  we  confess  our  sins,  tliou  art  faithful  and  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness. 
We  now  confess  our  sins,  and  we  ask  that  we  may  be 
forgiven,  and  that  our  souls  may  be  purified  from  sin.  We 
plead  thy  justice,  for  Jesus  bore  our  sins  in  his  own  body 
on  the  tree.  We  plead  thy  faithfulness  according  to  thy 
many  precious  promises.  Lot  us  now  by  faith  obtain  those 
promises.] 

Cleanse,  we  beseech  thee,  the  thoughts  of  our  hearts,  by 
the  inspiration  of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  that  we  may  perfectly 
love  thee,  and  worthily  magnify  thy  holy  name.  Strengthen 
us  for  the  duties  of  this  day.  Suffer  us  not  to  be  tempted 
above  what  we  are  able  to  bear ;  but  w^th  every  tempta- 
tion make  a  way  to  escape.  Incline  and  enable  us  to  walk 
in  that  way. 

Hold  thou  up  our  goings  in  thy  paths,  that  our  footsteps 
slip  not  Set  a  watch  before  our  mouths,  and  keep  the  door 
of  our  lips,  that  we  oftend  not  with  our  tongue.  May  we 
always  speak  that  which  is  good  to  the  use  of  edifying,  that 
it  may  minister  grace  to  the  hearers.  Enable  us  also  to 
keep  our  hearts  with  all  diligence,  seeing  that  out  of  it  are 
the  issues  of  life.  Increase  our  faith,  enliven  our  hope,  and 
enlarge  our  charity,  that  we  may  faithfully  serve  thee,  and 
in  all  things  glorify  thy  holy  name. 

We  pray  for  all  our  relatives  and  friends.  Give  them 
prosperity  both  of  body  and  soul*     Grant  that  grace  and 

*  When  any  member  of  the  family  is  sick,  add — 
We  particularly  commend  unto  thee  that  member  of  our  family 
now  in  affliction  ;  may  faith,  patience,  submission  and  resignation  be 
granted  in  this  hour  of  trial,  and  in  thy  own  good  time  remove  the 
affliction.  And,  Lord,  grant  that  all  our  tribulations  here  below  may 
lead  us  to  look  at  the  things  which  are  ab<3ve,  and  work  out  for  us  a 
far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory.  Ever  give  us  a 
spirit  of  sympathy,  and  tender  feeling,  and  love  for  each  other;  and 


214  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER, 

peace  may  be  multiplied  to  all  those  that  call  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  their  Lord  and  ours.  Seek  and 
save  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  Let  the  light 
of  life  shine  into  every  benighted  heart.  Increase  espe- 
cially among  the  people  of  this  nation,  the  number  of  those 
who  knovi^,  and  love,  and  serve  thee.  Bless  our  rulers,  and 
guide  our  statesmen ;  teach  thy  ministers,  and  prosper  thy 
people,  that  there  may  be  no  complaining  in  our  streets ; 
and  that  it  may  be-  said  of  us,  "  Happy  is  the  people  that  is 
in  such  a  case  ;  yea,  happy  is  that  people  whose  God  is  the 
Lord." 

These  prayers  we  offer  up  in  the  name  and  through  the 
mediation  of  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Our  Father,  &c. 

EVENING  FAMILY  PRAYER. 

O  eternal  God,  whose  name  is  love,  and  so  loved  the 
world  that  thou  gavest  thine  only-begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlast- 
ing life,  help  us,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  believe  in  Christ 
Jesus ;  and  trusting  in  him  to  have  access  unto  thee. 

We  feel  our  need  of  a  Savior  for  sinners ;  for  we  all  have 
sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.  When  we  look 
back  even  on  the  past  day,  thy  law  accuses  us  of  many 
sins,  and  our  own  consciences  justly  condemn  us.  We  have 
been  forgetful  of  thy  presence ;  our  conversation  has  been 
light  and  trifling ;  and  we  have  not  with  a  single  eye  sought 
thy  glory,  or  copied  the  holy  life  of  our  Savior  Christ.  He 
left  us  a  perfect  example,  but  how  seldom  we  tread  in  his 
steps ;  how  little  have  we  of  his  meekness  and  lowliness 
of  heart,  of  his  zeal  and  love !  We  have  sinned,  notwith- 
standing the  light  of  thy  word,  and  the  checks  of  our  own 
consciences. 

Grant  us  thy  grace,  that  we  may  not  be  hardened  through 

may  we  always  be  ready  to  weep  wilh  those  that  weep,  and  rejoice 
with  those  that  rejoice. 

When  any  member  of  the  family  is  on  a  journey,  add — 
O  Lord,  we  beseech  thee,  regard  with  ihy  favor,  protect  and  de- 
lend  hitn  who  is  now  absent  from  us.  Take  him  under  thy  special 
care.  Preserve  himirom  every  temptation.  Prosper  him  in  his  un- 
dertakings. May  he  be  a  blessing  wlierever  he  goes;  and  bring  him 
in  health  and  peace  among  us  again,  that  we  may  together  have 
fresh  cause  to  praise  and  bless  thy  holy  name. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  215 

Uie  deceitfulness  of  sin.  Give  us  true  repentance,  and  such 
a  sense  of  our  sinfulness  as  may  lead  us  to  despair  of  salva- 
tion by  any  works  of  our  own;  and  bring-  us  humbled  and 
penitent  to  the  foot  of  the  cross.  Help  us  by  faith  to  behold 
the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world. 
Teach  us  to  renounce  our  own  righteousness,  and  to  depend 
wholly  on  Jesus  Christ  May  we  be  able  to  say  and  feel, 
*'  In  the  Lord  have  I  righteousness  and  strength." 

[Teach  us  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  how  to  look  to 
him,  not  only  for  pardon  and  peace,  but  also  for  grace  and 
strength.  We  are  weak,  but  Jesus  is  strong :  grant  tbat  we 
may  be  made  strong  in  and  through  him.  Draw  us  to  Christ, 
Uiat  we  may  receive  out  of  his  fullness  all  that  we  need, 
repentance,  remission  of  sins,  and  the  gift  of  thy  Holy 
Spirit ;  that  he  may  dwell  in  our  hearts  by  faith,  and  we  be 
rooted  and  grounded  in  love.] 

We  commend  ourselves  to  thy  care  during  the  night. 
Let  no  evil  come  nigh  us.  May  our  last  thoughts  be  with 
thee ;  and  when  we  awake  up,  may  we  be  still  with  thee. 
Refresh  our  bodies  with  the  quiet  repose  of  the  night,  and 
renew  our  spiritual  strength.  Teach  us  ever  to  watch  and 
pray,  and  to  be  always  ready,  seeing  we  know  neither  tlie 
day  nor  the  hour  when  the  Son  of  j\Ian  shall  come. 

Extend  thy  merciful  care  to  all  that" are  near  and  dear  to 
us.  We  pray  for  all  our  relatives.  May  those  that  are  en- 
deared to  us  by  the  ties  of  nature,  be  yet  more  dear  by 
the  stronger  bonds  of  grace.  Grant  tliat  we  may  be  all 
one  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  We  pray  for  our  Christian 
friends,  for  our  neighbors,  and  all  with  whom  we  have  in- 
tercourse. 

Bless  those  that  minister  before  the  Lord,  May  all  Bish- 
ops, Priests,  and  Deacons,  ha  fbithfid,  wise,  humble,  and 
devoted  servants  of  the  I^rd  Jesus  Christ.  Everywhere 
raise  up  pastors  according  to  thine  heart,  which  shall  feed 
thy  people  with  knowledge  and  undei-standing.  Grant  thy 
blessing  to  every  Missionary  now  preaching  Christ  to  the 
Gentiles.  Cause  Jew  and  Gentile  to  turn  to  the  Lord,  that 
they  may  be  saved.  Brhsg  on  the  happy  day,  when  there 
shall  be  one  fold  and  one  Shepherd ;  and  they  shall  not 
hurt,  nor  destroy  in  all  thy  holy  mountain.     — ^ 

O  thou  giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  we  praise 
and  bless  thee  for  thy  great  and  continued  mercies  to  us. 
All  things  thou  givest  to  us  richly  for  enjoyment     We  re- 


216  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

ceive  from  thee  full  provision  for  all  our  temporal  wants, 
and  thou  forgivest  our  iniquities. 

[Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  thou  our  Lord 
and  Father  pitiest  them  that  fear  thee.  Thou  knowest  our 
frame ;  thou  rememberest  that  we  are  dust.  Thou  hast  had 
compassion  on  us  in  our  low  and  lost  estate,  and  thou 
gavest  thy  Son  to  die  for  us;  and  now  thou  offerest  and 
givest  us  thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  soften  our  hard  hearts  and  to 
help  our  infirmities.  Thou  justifiest  us  freely  by  thy 
grace,  adoptest  us  into  thy  family,  and  givest  us  a  hope  full 
of  glory.] 

Behold  what  manner  of  love  thou  our  Father  hast  bestow- 
ed upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God !  God 
of  mercy,  grant,  only  grant  that  we  may  be  followers  of 
thee  as  dear  children,  and  show  forth  thy  praise,  not  only 
with  our  lips,  but  in  our  lives,  through  Jesus  Christ. 

And  now  blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be 
unto  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb, 
for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

Our  Father,  &c. 

The  Lord  bless  us,  and  keep  us. 

The  Lord  make  his  face  to  shine  upon  us,  and  be  gra- 
cious unto  us. 

The  Lord  lift  up  his  countenance  upon  us,  and  give  us 
peace. 

ANOTHER    EVENING    FAMILY   PRAYER. 

O  Thou,  who  art  the  God  of  all  the  families  of  the  earth, 
who  didst  favorably  notice  Abraham's  commanding  his  chil- 
dren and  his  household  after  him  to  keep  the  way  of  the 
Lord ;  be  thou  present  with  us  now,  and  enable  us  by  thy 
Holy  Spirit,  and  through  thy  Son's  intercession,  to  worship 
thee  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

We  come  before  thee  acknowledging  that  we  were  all 
bom  In  sin,  the  children  of  wrath,  and  have  in  common  a 
corrupt  nature  and  a  continual  propensity  to  depart  from 
thee.  And  O  how  often  have  we  offended  thee,  the  God  of 
all  the  earth,  by  actual  transgressions. 

Even  in  the  day  that  is  past,  by  vain  thoughts,  by  idle 
words,  by  sinful  indulgences,  we  have  grieved  thy  Spirit, 
and  we  have  incurred  thy  displeasure.  Our  only  refuge  is 
m  thy  promised  mercy  in  Christ  Jesus.  We  cast  oureelvee 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  217 

wholly  on  that  mercy.  Fixing  all  our  hopes  on  our  Savior 
Jesus,  we  confess  our  guilt,  and  earnestly  pray  that  his 
blood  may  cleanse  us  from  all  sin. 

And  give  us,  we  beseech  thee,  the  comfortable  assurance 
that  our  sins  are  forgiven.  Let  thy  Holy  Spirit  bear  witness 
with  our  spirits  that  we  are  children  of  God.  Plentifully 
impart  to  us  the  gift  of  thy  Spirit,  that  we  may  bring  forth 
love,  joy,  peace,  gentleness,  goodness,  meekness,  long-suf- 
fering, forbearance,  and  temperance.  Grant  that  we  may  so 
copy  the  example  of  our  Savior,  as  to  be  the  Epistles  of 
Christ,  known  and  read  of  all  men ;  and  have  clear  evidence 
of  our  own  salvation.  Teach  us  so  to  live,  that  we  may  glo- 
rify thee  who  hast  bought  us  with  a  price  of  such  amazing 
value  as  the  blood  of  thine  own  Son. 

O  that  all  now  kneeUng  together  may  indeed  obtain 
mercy  in  Christ  Jesus,  be  passed  from  death  unto  life,  and 
love  and  serve  thee  unfeigned  ly.  But,  O  Lord,  how  cold  is 
our  love  to  thee  !  how  dead,  how  dull  are  our  hearts !  Help 
us  to  love  thee ;  to  love  God  with  all  our  heart,  with  all  our 
mind,  with  all  our  soul,  and  with  all  our  strength.  Shed 
abroad  the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts,  by  giving  us  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  and  may  we  be  taught  of  God  to  love  one  another. 
Be  thou  present  with  us  in  our  more  retired  devotions : 
praying  to  our  Father  which  is  in  secret  in  our  closet,  may 
we  find  his  presence  and  blessing  there. 

Bless,  O  Lord,  all  that  are  near  and  dear  to  us.  Many 
beloved  relatives  and  friends  are  now  absent  from  us  ;  but 
tliou  art  with  them,  and  all  their  wants  are  known  to  thee. 
Give  them  thy  grace ;  ever  guide  them  here  by  thy  coun- 
sel, and  may  none  of  them  be  wanting  in  thy  heavenly 
kingdom. 

We  pray  for  all  in  authority ;  Lord,  may  their  counsels 
be  ordered  by  thee  as  may  be  most  for  the  good  of  our 
Country. 

Give  we  beseech  thee,  to  all  Bishops,  Priests,  Dea- 
cons and  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ  everywhere,  true 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  thy  word ;  and  may  they 
set  it  forth  in  their  lives  accordingly.  Make  them  wise  to 
win  souls.  Lord,  call  forth  and  send  out  many  faithful  la- 
borers to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Bring  it  to  pass  that 
the  distant  isles  shall  wait  on  tlice,  and  the  Gentiles  come 
to  thy  light.  Bless  every  Society  established  for  benefiting 
T 


218  A   TREATISE   ON   PRAYER. 

the  bodies  or  the  souls  of  men,  and  especially  those  m 
whicli  we  are  more  immediately  engaged  and  interested. 

Thanks  be  unto  thee,  holy  Lord  God,  for  all  thy  goodness 
towards  us.  How  multiplied  are  thy  mercies  every  day  1 
How  excellent  is  thy  loving  kindness !  We  bless  thee  for 
all  thy  long-suffering  and  forbearance  towards  us.  We 
bless  thee  for  the  infinite  mercies  of  redeeming  love.  We 
bless  thee  tor  the  knowledge  of  thy  salvation,  and,  for  the 
light  of  thy  truth :  for  protection  from  every  danger  during 
the  night,  and  provision  for  all  our  wants  by  day.  Thou 
hast  spread  our  table  with  food,  and  thou  givest  us  every 
needful  good.  Accept  these  our  prayers  and  our  praises, 
which  we  offer  up  in  and  through  Jesus  Christ,  our  only 
mediator  and  advocate.  Amen. 

Our  Father,  &-c. 

FAMILY  PRAYER,  SUNDAY  MORNING. 

O  Almighty  God,  Creator,  Governor,  and  Upholder  of  all 
things,  who  after  making  the  heaven  and  earth,  didst  rest 
on  the  seventh  day,  and  bless  and  sanctify  it,  teach  us  now, 
resting  from  our  worldly  labors,  to  devote  the  day  to  thy 
€ervice.  O  thou  whose  Son  did,  as  on  this  day,  rise  again 
from  the  dead,  grant  us  grace  to  rise  from  the  death  of  sin 
to  the  life  of  righteousness.  Help  us  now,  in  his  name,  to 
seek  thy  blessing  on  those  holy  duties  to  which  the  sabbath 
is  set  apart. 

We  bless  and  praise  thee  for  the  appointment  of  this  day, 
and  for  all  the  means  of  grace  which  we  enjoy  in  this  high- 
ly favored  land.  We  bless  thee  that  thy  house  is  open,  that 
thy  ministers  have  liberty  to  preach,  and  we  have  opportu- 
nity and  inclination  to  assemble  with  thy  people  and  hear 
thy  holy  word. 

Above  all,  we  thank  thee  for  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ ;  for  free  justification  and  salvation  through  his  life, 
death,  and  resurrection.  We  praise  thee  for  the  gift  of  thy 
Holy  Spirit.  Blessed  for  ever  blessed,  be  thou,  the  God  and 
Fatiher  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  all  these  thy  benefits. 

Great  have  been  thy  mercies  to  us;  but  with  shame  we 
confess  that  we  have  slighted  thy  goodness,  and  carelessly 
regarded  thy  great  salvation.  How  many  sabbaths  have  we 
broken ;  how  many  invitations  of  mercy  have  we  neglected ; 
how  many  warnings  and  threatenings  have  we  trifled  with  ! 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  219 

How  cold  have  been  our  prayers ;  how  great  our  irrever- 
ence ;  how  inexcusable  our  unbelief! 

Forgive  us,  O  forgive  us,  all  our  negligences  and  in- 
firmities, and  all  our  sins  and  iniquities.  To  the  Lord  our 
God  belong  mercies  and  forgiveness,  though  we  have  re- 
belled against  him.  Return  again,  and  bless  us.  Gra- 
ciously be  present  with  us,  through  all  the  solemn  services 
of  this  day.  Enable  us  to  go  to  thy  house  in  the  spirit  of 
>rayer.  Pour  out  upon  us,  and  all  that  shall  meet  in  thy 
..^me,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication.  Let  none  of  us 
draw  near  to  thee  with  our  lips  only,  while  our  hearts  are 
far  from  thee ;  but  enable  us  to  w^orship  thee  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  Cause  thy  face  to  shine  upon  us.  Grant  that 
we  may  find  that  the  Lord  is  in  his  holy  Temple,  and  be 
able  to  say,  It  w^as  good  for  us  to  have  been  there !  Pre- 
pare our  hearts  to  receive  thy  holy  W'Ord,  that  it  may  be 
sown  in  good  ground,  and  bring  much  fruit  to  perfection. 

[Bless  especially  such  of  us  as  hope  this  day  again  to  re- 
ceive the  memorials  of  our  Savior's  sufferings  and  death. 
May  contrition,  penitence,  faith,  humility,  and  love,  be  in 
lively  exercise,  and  be  greatly  increased.] 

Help  all  of  us,  not  only  to  abstain  from  engaging  in  our 
usual  business  and  occupation,  but  also  keep  us  from 
worldly  conversation  and  from  vain  thoughts.  Raise  our 
affections  to  things  above,  and  let  our  conversation  be  in 
heaven.  Enable  us  to  give  this  day  to  reading  and  hear- 
ing thy  word,  to  meditation,  self-examination,  and  prayer ; 
and  be  thou  with  us,  to  bless  us  in  our  retired  devotions. 

And,  Father  of  mercies,  we  beseech  thee  to  bless  all 
that  minister  in  holy  things.  Multiply  unto  them  thy 
grace,  that  they  may  be  faithful,  diligent,  and  laborious. 
Grant  them  humility,  disinterestedness,  watchfulness,  and 
zeal ;  may  all  have  grace  to  take  heed  to  themselves  and 
to  the  flock  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has  made  them 
overseers,  feeding  the  Church  of  God  which  he  has  pur- 
chased with  his  own  blood.  Stand  by  and  strengthen  them 
this  day.  Open  thou  their  mouths,  and  enable  them  to  tes- 
tify boldly  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.  We  especially 
pray  for  him  who  ministers  among  us.  May  he  this  day 
be  enabled  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  us,  and  to  all  that 
hear  him. 

And,  we  beseech  thee,  grant  that  this  thy  sabbath  may 
be  distinguished  by  great  and   singular  mercies  to  thy 


220  A    TREATISE   OX    PRAYER. 

church.  Be  thou  with  all  Christian  congreg-ations  meeting 
to  worship  thee.  By  the  ministry  of  thy  word  this  day, 
convert  many  sinners ;  heal  those  that  have  backslidden, 
strengthen  those  that  are  weak,  and  confirm  those  that  are 
strong.  Give  thy  holy  word  free  course,  and  let  it  be  glo- 
rified in  every  land,  and  among  every  people.  Hear  us, 
and  answer  us,  for  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake.  Amen. 
Our  Father,  &c. 


FAMILY  PRAYER,  SUNDAY  EVENING. 

Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is, 
and  art  to  come  !  Thou  art  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold 
iniquity ;  thou  chargest  thine  angels  with  folly,  and  in  thy 
sight  the  heavens  are  not  clean ;  we  approach  thee,  then, 
only  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 

We  confess,  O  Lord,  how  defective  and  defiled  all  out 
services  are.  We  acknowledge  that  our  prayers  are  ftill 
of  distractions.  Our  confessions  want  confessing  over 
again,  our  very  petitions  need  thy  pardon,  our  cold  inter- 
cessions for  others  increase  our  own  guilt,  and  our  unwor- 
thy thanksgivings  fall  utterly  short  of  thy  great  goodness 
to  us.  We  carelessly  and  unbelievingly  hear  thy  word. 
All  we  do  is  polluted  and  sinful.  O  forgive  us.  Forgive 
the  sins  of  solemn  duties ;  and  let  that  great  High  Priest, 
who  is  passed  mto  the  heavens,  bearing  the  iniquities  of 
our  holy  things,  plead  for  us  in  thy  sight. 

And  grant,  most  merciful  Lord,  that  it  may  not  be  in 
vain  that  we  enjoy  such  distinguished  privileges  as  thou 
hast  given  to  us,  lest  it  be  more  tolerable  for  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  in  the  day  of  judgment  than  for  us.  Let  not  the 
seed  of  the  word  of  God  which  has  this  day  been  sown  in 
our  hearts,  be  plucked  away  by  Satan,  lost  through  tempta- 
tion, or  choked  with  the  cares  of  this  life  ;  but  having  heard 
it  and  received  it,  incline  us  to  keep  it,  and  do  thou  cause 
it  to  bring  forth  fruit,  an  hundred  fold. 

Grant  that  our  lives  may  exhibit  whose  we  are  and  whom 
we  serve :  remembering  that  if  we  know  our  Lord's  will 
and  do  it  not,  we  shall  justly  have  the  severer  punishment; 
we  humbly  beseech  thee,  strengthen  our  resolutions  to 
live  more  decidedly  to  ihee.  We  feel  that  we  now  have 
again  to  enter  into  the  contest  with  our  spiritual  enemies ; 
make  us  more  than  conquerc-rs  through  hira  that  loved  us. 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  221 

We  have  again  to  exert  ourselves  to  run  the  race  set  be- 
fore us ;  teach  us  ever  to  look  unto  Jesus  as  the  author  and 
finisher  of  our  faith.  O  let  us  take  the  more  earnest  heed 
never  to  let  slip  the  thing's  which  we  have  heard. 

And  we  pray  for  all  those  who  have  this  day  assembled 
before  thee,  and  heard  the  word  of  salvation.  Grant  unto 
tliem  the  same  mercies  which  we  ask  for  ourselves.  Let 
thy  ministers  that  water  others  be  themselves  abundantly 
watered  in  their  own  soul.  Strengthen  them  for  thy  work, 
both  in  body  and  soul. 

Remember  in  mercy  those  who  by  thy  providence  have 
been  kept  from  thy  house,  and  let  them  receive  a  special 
supply  of  thy  grace.  Grant  that  those  who  have  wilfully 
or  ignorantly  deprived  themselves  of  public  worship  may 
have  their  eyes  opened  to  see,  and  their  hearts  awakened 
to  feel,  their  guilt  and  their  danger,  and  learn  to  flee  from 
tlie  wrath  to  come. — O  hasten  the  time  when  thy  house 
siiall  be  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  nations,  and  the  whole 
world  shall  worship  in  thy  courts. 

Thanks  be  unto  God  for  all  the  privileges  of  the  past 
Sabbath.  Blessed  be  thy  name  that  we  were  permitted  to 
hear  thy  word,  to  join  thy  people  in  prayer  and  praise,  and 
to  enjoy  so  plentifully  the  means  of  grace.  Blessed  be  our 
God  for  any  thing  of  communion  with  him,  or  desire  afler 
him.  Blessed  be  God,  if  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  or  his  holy  word,  be  more  understood  or  valued  by 
us.     Our  cup  runneth  over  with  mercies. 

O  Lord,  if  amid  our  infirmities,  thy  Sabbaths  here  below 
rejoice  the  heart ;  if  to  rest  from  earthly  labors,  and  enjoy 
the  privileges  of  thy  house  in  this  world,  be  delightful ;  how 
should  we  thank  thee  for  the  prospect  of  an  eternal  Sab- 
bath, where  thy  ser\-ants  shall  serve  thee  without  one 
wandering  thought,  without  weariness,  and  without  dis- 
traction !  O  grant,  in  mercy  grant,  that  none  of  those  who 
have  this  day  met  together  in  thy  house,  may  be  wanting 
in  the  number  of  those  who  shall  dwell  in  that  house  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens,  for  Jesus  Christ's 
sake.     Amen. 

Our  Father,  &c 

BRIEF  PRAYER  FOR  A  SUyDAY  SCHOOL. 

Gracious  Savior,  who  hast  said,  Sufibr  little  children  to 
come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  regard  with  thy  fevor, 
T2 


222  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

every  effort  to  bring  up  children  in  the  nurture  and  admo- 
nition of  the  Lord. 

Give,  holy  Lord,  we  beseech  thee,  wisdom  and  discre- 
tion, patience,  kindness,  and  perseverance  to  all  who  con- 
duct schools.  Bless  those  who  endeavor  to  instruct  the 
young-.     Do  thou  teach  them  that  they  may  teach  others. 

Heavenly  Father,  grant  that  the  children  of  this  school 
may  receive  with  an  humble,  teachable,  and  ready  mind,  all 
the  instructions  given  to  them  according  to  thy  word. 
Give  them  thy  grace  while  young,  that  early  seeking  Jesus 
their  Savior,  they  may  find  him.  Let  them  remember 
their  Creator  in  the  days  of  their  youth.  Teach  them  to 
honor  their  parents  and  superiors,  and  to  be  kind  and  full 
of  love  towards  each  other.  God  grant  that  they  may  all 
be  trained  up  in  the  way  in  which  they  should  go,  and 
when  they  are  old  never  depart  from  it. — -May  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Lord  be  universally  diffused,  till  at  length 
all  shall  know  thee  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.    Amen. 

BRIEF   PRAYER   FOR   A   BENEVOLENT   SOCIETY. 

O  thou  who  art  the  Father  of  the  fatherless,  and  the 
Judge  of  the  widow,  who  hast  declared  it  to  be  pure  reli- 
gion and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father,  to  visit  the 
fatherless  and  the  widow  in  their  afflictions,  bless  all  thy 
servants  in  any  way  engaged  in  supporting  and  carrying 
on  this  work  of  mercy  and  love.  May  those  that  have  pity 
on  the  poor,  find,  by  happy  experience,  that  they  have 
lent  unto  the  Lord,  and  that  he  pays  them  again  what  they 
have  given. 

Help  us  to  remember  what  a  responsible  duty  is  commit- 
ted to  our  charge,  rightly  to  divide  and  apportion  those 
alms  which  have  been  intrusted  to  us,  among  those  in  real 
necessity ;  and  give  us  grace  to  act  wisely  and  faithfully. 

In  all  our  visits  to  the  poor  and  afflicted,  do  thou  go 
with  us.  Enable  us  to  speak  with  them  and  act  towards 
them,  both  in  fidelity  and  in  tenderness.  With  whatever 
difficulties,  disappointments,  or  reproaches,  we  may  meet, 
let  us  never  be  weary  of  well-doing.  Enable  us,  in  all 
things,  patiently  to  follow  his  example  who  went  about 
doing  good. 

Bless  us  and  all  men,  in  every  endeavor  to  reclaim  the 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  223 

wicked,  instruct  the  ignorant,  comfort  the  mourner,  and 
confirm  the  believer;  and  make  true  religion  everywhere 
spread,  till  the  earth  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the 
glory  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 


A   SOCIAL   PRAYER. 

[O  Lord  God  Almighty,  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth, 
the  Lord  of  Glory,  who  art  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the  as- 
sembly of  thy  saints,  and  to  be  had  in  reverence  of  all  them 
tliat  are  round  about  thee ;  who  dwellest  in  heaven,  sur- 
rounded with  Angels  and  i\rchangels,  with  Cherubim  and 
Seraphim,  who  veil  their  faces  while  they  praise  and  wor- 
ship; we  bow  down  before  thee  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ.  None  other  name,  but  the  name  of  Jesus;  none 
other  merits,  but  the  merits  of  Jesus,  w^ould  we  plead  in 
thy  sight :  but  by  Him,  through  one  Spirit,  mo.y  we  now 
have  access  with  confidence  to  the  throne  of  grace.] 

O  Thou  whose  name  is  Ho]y,  who  hast  required  that  we 
confess  our  faults  one  to  another ;  we  would  now  confess 
our  many  and  our  great  sins.  We  have  often  sinned 
against  thee,  and  against  each  other,  in  thought,  word,  or 
deed.  O  forgive  our  hardness  of  heart,  and  our  earthly 
mindedness ;  all  our  want  of  charity,  all  our  hastiness  of 
spirit,  all  our  bad  tempers,  and  every  sinful  action. 

For  thine  own  name's  sake,  blot  out  our  transgressions, 
and  remember  not  our  sins.  [We  put  thee  in  remem- 
brance, and  plead  together  thy  gracious  promises.  We 
declare  them  before  thee,  that  we  may  be  justified.  May 
the  blood  of  Jesus  purge  our  consciences  from  dead  works 
to  serve  the  living  God.] 

Lord  of  all  grace,  help  us  ever  hereafter  to  walk  worthy 
of  the  vocation  wherewith  we  are  called.  May  we,  with 
all  lowliness,  and  meekness,  with  long-suffering,  forbear- 
ing one  another  in  love,  endeavor  to  keep  the  unity  of  the 
spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace.  Give  us  grace  so  to  live,  that 
we  may  find  more  and  more  how  good  and  hov/  pleasant  it 
is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity. 

[Teach  us  to  remember  that  to  us  there  is  one  body  and 
one  spirit,  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and 
Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  all; 
and  thus  may  we  love  each  other  as  brethren.     Help  us  to 


S24  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

love  one  another  even  as  Christ  has  loved  us.  Whereto 
we  have  already  attained,  let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let 
us  mind  the  same  thing-.] 

Give  unto  each  of  us  grace  to  fulfil  our  duties  toward 
each  other.  As  pai-ents,  may  we  bring  up  our  children  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord ;  and  as  children, 
obey  our  parents  in  all  things ;  as  jnasters,  may  we  give 
unto  our  servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal,  remember- 
ing that  we  also  have  a  master  in  heaven ;  and  as  servants, 
be  obedient  in  singleness  of  heart,  as  unto  Christ;  as  hus- 
bands, loving  our  wives,  even  as  Christ  also  loved  the 
Church,  and  dwelling  with  them  according  to  knowledge ; 
as  wives,  being  in  subjection  to  the  husband,  and  having  on 
the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit. 

We  ask  for  blessings  on  our  native  land.  Lord,  we 
would  sigh  before  thee  for  all  the  abominations  of  our  coun- 
try. O  how  tiie  swearer,  the  sabbath-breaker,  the  covet- 
ous, the  licentious,  and  the  blasphemer  abound  on  every 
side]  Because  of  these  things  the  wrath  of  God  comes  on 
the  children  of  disobedience.  Spare  us,  good  Lord,  spare 
us,  for  thy  name's  sake.  Grant,  we  beseech  thee,  that  as 
we  have  been  peculiarly  distinguished  by  thy  mercies,  so 
it  may  have  to  be  said  of  us,  "  Surely  this  great  nation  is 
a  wise  and  understanding  people,  for  what  nation  is  there 
so  great,  who  hath  God  so  nigh  unto  them,  as  the  Lord  our 
God  is  in  all  things  that  we  call  upon  him  for." 

Pour  out  of  thy  Spirit  on  all  who  have  the  direction  of 
public  afiliirs;  on  all  who  minister  in  holy  things;  on  the 
magistrates,  and  on  the  people ;  that  a  general  revival  of 
religion  may  appear  among  us.  Cause  thy  Church  every- 
where to  flourish  and  increase.  We  pray  especially  for  an 
increase  of  the  zeal,  purity  and  love,  humility  and  devotion 
of  thy  people.  Let  Zion  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and 
on  the  left:.  Add  daily  to  thy  Church,  in  our  own  country, 
and  in  heathen  lands,  such  as  shall  be  saved.  Bless  every 
Missionary  gone  forth  to  preach  to  the  Gentiles  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ,  and  may  more  and  more  grace 
be  given  unto  them  all,  that  they  may  labor  zealously, 
wisely,  and  abundantly  in  thy  cause. 

And  now,  Lord,  accept  our  unfeigned  thanksgivings,  for 
all  those  blessings  which  we  daily  so  richly  enjoy.  We 
thank  thee  more  especially  for  those  many  dear  ties  of  re- 
Vationship,  affection,  and  Christian  pruiciples,  which  bind 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  225 

US  together.  We  bless  thee  for  all  that  sympathy  of  feel- 
ing and  union  of  heart  which  thou  hast  given  us ;  and  we 
pray  that  we  may  be  more  and  more  knit  together  in  Chris- 
tian love. 

But,  beyond  all  other  mercies,  we  bless  thee  for  the  com- 
mon salvation  of  Jesus  Christ;  for  his  birth,  his  life,  his 
death,  and  his  resurrection ;  for  all  that  he  was,  and  is,  and 
will  be.  Blessed  be  God  for  the  gift  of  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  our  only  Savior,  our  only  hope,  and  our  sure  refuge. 

[We  trust  that  we  may  say  we  are  one  in  Christ,  mem- 
bers of  that  body  of  which  he  is  the  head ;  and  we  bless 
and  praise  thee  for  this  thy  unspeakable  mercy.  We  thank 
thee  for  this  opportunity  of  assembling  ourselves  together ; 
and  we  pray  that  however  w"e  may  be  separated  here  be- 
low, or  however  scattered  in  different  stations,  as  we  have 
now  met  together  here  on  earth,  we  may  hereafter  all 
meet  in  heaven,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 

Our  Father,  &:c. 

PRAYER    FOR    THE   ENLARGEMENT   OF   THE    KINGDOM   OF 
CHRIST. 

I. 

Almighty  God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,  the  earth  is  thine,  and 
the  fullness  thereof,  the  round  world,  and  they  that  dwell 
therein. 

We  come,  as  sinners,  but  trusting  in  thy  beloved  Son, 
our  Advocate,  and  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  look- 
ing for  the  promised  spirit  of  grace  and  supplication. 

Lord,  we  confess  before  thee  our  own  sins,  and  those  of 
our  country.  Like  thy  people  of  old,  while  we  have  been 
greatly  distinguished  by  privileges,  we  have  also  been  a 
sinful  nation,  a  people  laden  with  iniquity,  a  seed  of  evil 
doers,  children  that  are  corrupters.  We  have  forsaken  the 
Lord,  and  have  provoked  the  holy  one  of  Israel..  And  chief- 
ly, now,  we  would  confess  our  coldness  and  indifference  in 
extending  the  blessings  of  that  glorious  Gospel  which  Thou 
hast  intrusted  to  us.  How  slothful  and  unconcerned  have 
we  been  to  communicate  to  others  the  privileges  which  we 
enjoy,  and  to  use  all  the  means  which  thou  hast  given  unto 
us  of  imparting  the  knowledge  of  Christ  to  distant  lands  I 
To  us  belong  shame  and  confusion  of  face,  because  we 


226  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

have  sinned  against  thee.  But  to  the  Lord  our  God  belong 
mercies  and  forgivenesses,  though  we  have  rebelled  against 
him. 

We  beseech  thee,  give  us  a  zeal  for  thy  glory.  Fountain 
of  liglit,  and  life,  and  grace,  pour  upon  us  thy  quickening 
Spirit,  to  animate  and  excite  us  to  devote  ourselves  to  thee. 
Raise  up,  we  pray  thee,  those  who  shall  unceasingly  pray, 
and  give,  and  think,  and  labor,  for  the  spread  of  thy  trutk 
Revive  the  days  of  the  primitive  church,  when  thy  people, 
walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  comfort  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  were  multiplied. 

May  the  true  light  come  more  and  more  to  thy  Church, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  rise  upon  her ;  and  may  the  Gen- 
tiles come  to  this  light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy 
rising. 

Lord,  we  plead  the  glory  of  thy  great  name,  the  faith- 
fulness of  thy  promises,  and  the  happiness  of  thine  own 
creation ;  and  with  these  pleas,  we  ask,  that  the  heathen 
may  be  given  to  Christ  for  his  inheritance,  and  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth  for  his  possession. 

II. 

O  Lord,  hast  thou  not  said,  "  It  shall  come  to  pass  in  the 
last  days  that  I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh  1" 
Behold  !  in  tliese  last  days :  give  now  to  us  that  ask.  With 
thee  is  the  residue  of  the  Spirit ;  and  the  Lord's  hand  is 
not  shortened  that  it  cannot  save,  nor  his  ear  heavy  that  it 
cannot  hear. 

Have  respect  unto  the  Covenant,  for  the  dark  places  of 
the  earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty.  May  the 
Sun  of  righteousness  arise,  with  healing  in  his  wings,  on 
those  people  now  sitting  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death. 

We  pray  thee  to  hasten  the  coming  on  of  that  time, 
when  it  sliall  not  be  asked.  Who  hath  believed  our  report] 
and  to  whom  is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed  ?  but  it  shall 
be  said.  The  Lord  hath  made  bare  his  holy  arm  in  the  sight 
of  all  nations,  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  have  seen  the 
salvation  of  our  God. 

And  grant,  gracious  Jjord,  that  while  the  fullness  of  thp 
Gentiles  is  come  in,  all  Israel  may  also  be  saved.  May  the 
veil  which  remains  upon  their  liearts  w-hen  Moses  is  read, 
be  taken  away  by  their  turning  to  the  Lord.     May  this 


A  TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  227 

branch  which  has  so  long  been  broken  ofT,  at  length  be 
grafted  into  its  own  Olive-tree. 

O  let  the  Deliverer  come  out  of  Zion,  and  turn  away 
ungodliness  from  Jacob. 

And  while  we  thus  pray,  we  thank  thee,  good  and  gra- 
cious Lord,  for  all  the  blessed  signs  of  the  times  in  which 
we  live.  We  bless  thee  for  the  beginning  of  a  general  de- 
sire to  spread  thy  truth  through  the  world,  and  that  socie- 
ties have  been  raised  in  these  latter  days,  among  all  de- 
nominations of  thy  servants,  for  evangelizing  tlie  heathen, 
and  for  their  conversion  from  dumb  idols  to  the  living  God. 
We  thank  thee  for  any  success  given  to  these  efforts,  and 
would  thereby  be  encourged  to  persevere  in  more  zealous 
labors,  and  more  fervent  prayers. 

in. 

O  Father  of  lights,  and  giver  of  all  wisdom,  bless  every 
Society  formed  for  the  conversion  of  Jews  or  Gentiles,  and 
for  the  spread  and  advancement  of  thy  truth,  at  home  or 
abroad.  Guide  the  minds  of  all  who  conduct  their  affairs. 
In  all  their  difficulties  and  trials,  comfort  and  support  them. 
Especially  direct  them  in  the  choice  of  fit  instruments. 
Give  them  the  discerning  of  spirits,  that  none  may  be  sent 
forth  but  such  as  thou  hast  called,  prepared,  and  qualified 
for  the  blessed  yet  arduous  office  of  proclaiming  the  un- 
Bearchable  riches  of  Christ.  Greatly  increase  the  number 
of  such  laborers.  Give,  O  give  thou  the  word,  and  great 
shall  be  the  company  of  preachers.  Bless  all  Vv^ho  support 
thy  cause  at  home.  May  they  that  love  thy  Jerusalem 
prosper  in  body  and  soul :  in  endeavoring  to  v/ater  others, 
may  their  own  souls  be  watered. 

Look  with  thy  favor  on  all  missionaries  now  among  the 
heathen.  O  prepare  thy  way  in  the  wilderness.  May  every 
valley  be  exalted,  every  hill  made  low ;  may  the  crooked 
he  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain ;  and  let  thy 
word  everywhere  have  free  course  and  be  glorified.  May 
thy  doctrine,  constantly  preached  by  tliy  servants,  drop  as 
the  rain,  and  distil  as  the  dew,  and  thy  word  never  return 
unto  thee  void,  but  prosper  abundantly,  and  accomplish  all 
that  for  which  thou  dost  send  it.  Give  thy  servants  health 
and  strength,  vigor  of  nand.  and  devotedness  of  heart;  and 
may  they  all  be  chosen  vessels  to  bear  thy  name  before  the 
Gentiles.  May  the  deadening  influence  of  climate,  heathen 


228  A    TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

customs,  and  loss  of  means  of  grace,  be  more  than  coun- 
teracted by  a  special  supply  of  thy  Holy  Spirit.  May  it 
have  to  be  recorded  of  each  one  of  them — He  was  a  good 
man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith ;  and  much 
people  were,  through  him,  added  to  the  Lord.  Give  them 
grace  to  be  faithful  unto  death,  and  may  they  receive  from 
the  Savior's  hands  the  crown  of  life  and  glory.  Grant  that 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  may  rise  up  to  call  them 
blessed.  May  the  little  leaven  leaven  the  whole  lump;  and 
all  the  nations  whom  thou  hast  made  fall  down  and  worship 
before  thee,  and  glorify  thy  name. 

O  Lord,  hear ;  O  Lord,  forgive ;  O  Lord,  hearken  and 
do;  defer  not  for  thine  own  sake,  O  our  God.  For  thy 
dear  Son's  sake,  answer.  May  he  see  of  the  travail  of  his 
soul,  and  be  satisfied.  Amen,  and  Amen. 

Our  Father,  &c. 


ANOTHER    PRAYER   FOR   THE    ENLARGEMENT   OF   THE 
DOM   OF   CHRIST. 

'      '  I. 

O  Eternal  God,  the  Lord  of  Glory,  who  hast  made  the 
heaven  and  the  earth  by  thy  great  power  and  stretched-out 
arm ;  the  great,  the  mighty  God,  the  Lord  of  Hosts  is  thy 
name :  Thou,  Lord,  art  good  to  all,  and  thy  tender  mercies 
are  over  all  thy  works.  Thou  art  nigh  unto  all  them  that 
call  upon  thee,  to  all  that  call  upon  thee  in  truth. 

We  are  bold,  therefore,  to  come  before  thee  in  behalf  of 
a  world  lying  in  wickedness.  Behold,  in  thy  infinite  com- 
passion, dying  millions,  who  have  changed  the  glory  of  the 
incorruptible  God  into  an  image  made  like  to  corruptible 
man,  and  to  birds,  and  four-footed  beasts !  behold  them, 
without  Christ,  strangers  from  the  covenant  of  promise, 
havmg  no  hope,  and  without  God  in  the  world ;  filled  with 
all  unrighteousness,  fornication,  wickedness,  covetousness, 
maliciousness;  full  of  envy,  murder,  debate,  deceit,  and 
malignity !  Lord,  we  know  that  they  which  do  such  things 
shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.  Regard  then,  now, 
we  beseech  thee,  in  pity,  the  sad  effects  of  sin,  the  misera- 
ble condition  of  these  thy  creatures.  Regard,  we  beseech 
thee,  thine  own  glory.  How  long  shall  thy  name  be  thu3 
profaned!  How  long  shall  the  prince  of  darkness  usurp  the 
Savior's  promised  inheritance  and  possession  1  Lord,  how 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  229 

long  shall  the  blessed  hope  that  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
are  to  be  the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  of  his  Christ,  tarry 
ere  it  come  1 

Thou  shalt  arise  and  have  mercy  upon  Sion,  for  the  time' 
to  favor  her,  yea,  the  set  time,  is  come.  For  thy  servants 
take  pleasure  in  her  stones,  and  favor  the  dust  thereof  So 
the  Heathen  shall  fear  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the 
kmgs  of  the  earth  thy  glory. 

Lord  we  believe  thy  promises ;  help  our  unbelief  We 
are  persuaded  that  thou  hast  brought  the  wretched  state  of 
the  world  before  the  eyes  of  thy  people,  that  they  may  pity 
millions  of  guilty,  accountable,  and  immortal  souls  without 
the  knowledge  of  a  Savior ;  that  while  there  is  time  they 
may  pray,  and  give,  and  strive  to  make  thy  Gospel  known 
among  them.  Our  Savior  has  commanded,  "  Go  into  all 
the  v/orld,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature ;"  and 
thou  hast  promised,  that  thy  word  shall  not  return  unto  thee 
void ;  w^e  confidently,  therefore,  ask  thee  to  bless  the  cause 
of  Christian  missions,  that  it  may  advance  and  grow,  and 
increase  till  every  Christian  heart  become  warmed  with 
holy  zeal  for  the  spread  of  the  Savior's  name,  and  kingdom, 
and  glory ;  and  the  Gospel  of  Christ  be  preached  to  Jew 
and  Gentile  through  the  world. 

n. 

Holy,  holy,  holy  Lord,  w^e  acknowledge  it  to  be  owing  to 
thy  infinite  mercy,  that  we  were  not  left  in  the  darkness 
of  heathen  lands.  Thou  didst  incline  thy  servants  of  old 
to  send  faithful  missionaries  to  preach  thy  glorious  Gospel ; 
thou  didst  support  them  in  all  their  trials  and  difficulties, 
and  at  length  this  favored  country  became  a  Christian  land. 
And,  Lord,  how  hast  thou  since  blessed  us,  above  other  na- 
tions, in  the  enjoyment  of  the  light  of  thy  truth,  and  in  the 
power  and  means  to  communicate  it!  We  feel  that  our 
privileges  imply  duties.  Give  us  grace,  then,  to  labor,  that 
the  word  of  the  Lord  may  from  us  sound  out  in  every  place. 
We  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  given  many  the  disposition 
to  aid  in  this  work,  and  that  numbers  of  thy  servants  are 
united  in  societies,  to  send  abroad  the  tidings  of  salvation. 
Lord,  bless  them  all.  Lord,  greatly  increase  the  number 
of  such  as  have  at  heart  the  good  of  Sion. 

We  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  that  thy  holy  word  is  translating 
into  numerous  different  languages,  and  that  now  so  many 


230  A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER. 

nations  may  hear  in  their  own  tongues  the  wonderful  works 
of  God.  Give  yet  greater  success  to  these  efforts.  Facili- 
tate this  work  by  imparting,  more  and  more,  peculiar  talents 
to  tliose  engaged  therein.  As  thou  didst  give  to  thy  servants 
of  old  peculiar  skill  in  erecting  the  tabernacle  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  so  in  this  age  of  thy 
Cliurch  do  thou  grant  special  gifts  to  those  engaged  in 
building  up  thy  spiritual  temple. 

Lord,  do  thou  prepare  and  call  forth  laborers.  Qualify 
fit  instruments  to  conduct  missionary  efforts,  and  give  them 
faith,  wisdom,  and  judgment,  uprightness,  patience,  and 
self-denial,  a  single  eye  and  a  single  heart,  in  all  their  pro- 
ceedings. So  incline  their  minds,  that  they  may  send  none 
to  labor  among  the  heathen  but  those  that  are  first  chosen 
of  thee  :  men  anointed  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Do  thou  raise 
up  meek,  humble,  patient,  believing,  laborious,  and  perse- 
vering men,  counting  their  work  their  wages,  and  looking 
for  the  recompense  of  reward  hereafter :  men  suited  to  the 
exigencies  of  the  heathen,  in  their  various  degrees  of  civili- 
zation and  knowledge,  and  adapted  to  meet  their  wants  in 
each  particular  situation ;  men  willing  to  spend  themselves, 
and  be  spent  for  Christ.  Lord,  send  forth,  we  beseech  thee, 
eend  forth  such  laborers. 

III. 

Regard,  we  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  with  tliy  infinite  love, 
those  who  have  gone  forth  in  thy  name  to  Heathen  lands, 
to  labor  in  making  Christ  known  to  the  Gentiles.  Help 
them  to  be  followers  of  thy  Apostles.  Grant  that  they  may 
never  lose  that  first  love  and  ardor  of  mind  which  induced 
them,  for  Christ's  sake,  to  leave  country,  home,  friends,  and 
relatives.  Preserve  them  sound  in  doctrine,  and  pure  in 
their  life  and  conversation.  In  the  faith  of  Christ  may  they 
vanquish  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  Devil,  and  overcome 
apparently  insurmountable  difiiculties.  Give  unto  them 
utterance  that  they  may  open  their  mouth  boldly,  to  make 
known  the  mystery  of  the  Gospel.  Give  them  grace  to 
hope  even  against  liope ;  and  in  thy  own  good  time  remove 
every  opposing  obstacle  to  the  universal  diffusion  of  thy 
truth.  Let  the  course  of  thy  providence  prepare  the  way 
for  thy  servants.  Let  every  fresh  advance,  either  in  com- 
merce, science,  or  arts,  aid  the  coming  on  of  the  Redeem- 
er's kingdom;  all  things  work  together  for  good,  till  all 


A    TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  231 

fihall  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  from  the  least  to  the 
greatest. 

And  for  this  we  entreat  the  full  out-pouring"  of  thy  Holy 
Spirit  upon  all  flesh ;  upon  kings  of  the  earth  and  all  peo- 
ple ;  upon  bishops,  priests,  deacons,  and  all  Christian  minis- 
ters ;  upon  princes,  senators,  and  magistrates ;  young  men 
and  maidens,  old  men  and  children.  Let  them  praise  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  for  his  name  alone  is  excellent,  his  glory 
is  above  the  earth  and  heaven. 

O  Lord,  it  is  not  our  glory  we  seek,  but  thine.  We  long", 
we  ask,  we  pray,  that  thy  will  may  be  done  on  earth,  as  it 
is  in  heaven  ;  that  all  nations  whom  thou  hast  made  may 
come  and  worship  before  thee,  and  glorify  thy  name.  Lord, 
thou  knowest  our  desires :  we  know  not  how  to  express 
them  as  we  should.  Do  for  us  and  thy  Church  exceedingly 
abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think,  for  thy  great 
name's  sake.  Amen. 

These  prayers  we  offer  up  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Amen. 

Our  Father,  &c. 


EJACULA.TORY    PRAYERS   FROM   THE   SCRIPTURES. 

On  rising  in  the  morning.  * 

I  laid  me  down  and  slept;  I  awaked,  for  thou,  Lord, 
sustained  me.  Ps.  Hi.  5. 

At  noon. 
At  evening,  and  at  morning,  and  at  noon-day  will  I  pray, 
and  that  instantly.  Ps.  Iv.  17. 

On  going  to  bed. 
I  will  lay  me  down  in  peace,  and  take  my  rest,  for  it  is 
thou,  Lord,  only  that  makest  me  to  dwell  in  safety.  Ps.  iv.  8. 

At  going  out. 
Lord,  bless  my  going  out,  and  my  coming  in,  from  this 
time  forth  for  evermore.  Ps.  cxxi.  8. 

At  work. 
Prosper  thou  the  work  of  my  hands,  0  Lord :  prosper 
my  handy-work.  Ps.  ex.  17. 


232  A   TREATISE   ON    PRAYER. 

In  conversation. 

Set  a  watch,  O  Lord,  before  my  mouth ;  keep  thou  the 
door  of  my  lips,  Ps.  cxli.  3. 

Let  the  words  of  my  mouth,  and  the  meditation  of  my 
heart,  be  always  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  O  Lord,  my 
Strength  and  my  Redeemer.   Ps.  xix.  14. 

When  evil  entreated. 
Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do. 
Luke  xxiii.  34. 
Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge.  Acts  vii.  60. 

On  any  loss. 
The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed 
be  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Job  i.  21. 

In  temptation. 

How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness,  and  sin  against 
God]   Gen.  xxxix.  9. 

Lord,  cleanse  thou  me  from  my  secret  faults :  keep  back 
thy  servant  also  from  presumptuous  sins ;  let  them  not  have 
dominion  over  me.  Ps.  xix.  12,  13. 

In  difficult  circumstances. 
Cause  me  to  know  the  way  wherein  I  should  walk,  for  I 
lift  up  my  soul  unto  thee.  Ps.  cxliii.  8. 

Lord,  I  am  oppressed,  undertake  for  me.  Isa.  xxxviii.  14. 

For  a  friend. 
The  Lord  grant  unto  him  that  he  may  find  mercy  of  the 
Lord  in  that  day.  2  Tim.  i.  18. 

Before  prayer. 
Lord,  teach  us  to  pray.  Luke  xi.  1. 
Quicken  us  and  we  will  call  upon  thy  name.  Ps.  Ixxx.  18. 

Before  reading  the  scriptures. 
Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold  wondrous  things 
out  of  thy  law.  Ps.  cxix.  18. 


How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  O  Lord  of  Hosts  !  My 
soul  longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth,  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord ; 


A   TREATISE    ON    PRAYER.  233 

my  heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God.  Ps. 
hxxxiv.  1,  2. 

We  will  go  into  his  tabernacle ;  we  will  worship  at  bis 
footstool.  Ps.  cxxxii.  7. 

Entering  God's  house. 
This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the 
gate  of  heaven.   Gen.  xxviii.  17. 

On  hearing  the  scriptures. 
Sanctify  us  through  thy  truth :  thy  word  is  truth.    John 
xvii.  17. 

After  worship. 
The  good  Lord  pardon  every  one  that  prepareth  his  heart 
to  seek  God,  the  Lord  God  of  his  fathers,  though  he  be  not 
cleansed  according  to  the  purification  of  the  Sanctuary. 
2  Chron.  xxx.  18,  19. 

Occasional  ejaculations. 
O  Lord,  be  gracious  unto  us,  we  have  waited  for  thee. 
Isa.  xxxiii.  2. 

Father,  glorify  thy  name.  John  xii.  28. 

Lord,  save  us,  we  perish.  Matt.  viii.  25. 

Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.  Mark  x.  47, 

Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean.  Luke  v.  12. 

Lord,  I  believe ;  help  thou  mine  unbelief  Mark  ix.  24. 

Lord,  help.  Matt.  xv.  25. 

THE   lord's    prayer. 

Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  thy  name ; 
thy  kingdom  come ;  thy  will  be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in 
heaven ;  give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread ;  and  forgive  us 
our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us ; 
and  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil : 
for  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for 
ever  and  ever.  Amen. 


U2 


INDEX. 


Abraham's  example  in  family  worsliip Page  118 

Adam,  Rev.  Thos.  his  Private  Thoughts,  quoted 177,  180 

Address  on  constant  prayer,  to  Christian  ministers, 

Parents,  those  in  prosjyerity  or  afflicted,  tlie 

young,  those  in  middle  Ufe,  and  the  aged. . . .   187  to  18D 

Adoration  to  be  a  part  of  prayer 5^ 

Example  of 79 

Affliction,  prayer  advantageous  in 20 

Alms  shodd  be  joined  with  prayers 88 

Analysis  of  prayer,  from  Bishop  Wilkins 57 

Anselm,  Bishop,  quoted 1(>4 

Answers  to  prayer,  section  on 82 

examples  of 85 

duty  when  prayers  answered,  or 

rot 87  to  89 

Approach  to  public  worship,  directions  for 110 

Assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  prayer,  {see  Holy 

Ghost) 29 

Augustine,  quoted 177 

Averseness  to  prayer  by  nature 30 

Baxter's  Converse  with  God,  quoted 46,  92  and  93 

his  spirit  of  prayer  for  the  world  at 

large 146 

Behavior,  a  due,  in  the  house  of  God 113 

Being,  we  have  to  worship 50 

his  character  as  a  father ib. 

his  majesty,  his  grace,  and  mercy 51i,  53 

Benevolent  Society,  form  of  prayer  for 222 

Beveridge's  Private  Thoughts  recommended 28 

Blessing,  example  of  in  prayer 80 

Boerhaave,  his  daily  practice 95 

Bonnel,  the  life  oi^  quoted 50 

his  prayer  before  public  worship 113,  114 

Bowdler,  quoted 188 

Bradford,  the  Martyr,  sayings  of 10,     GO,  80 

Brown  on  prayer,  quoted 45 

Buchanan,  Dr.  his  observations  on  family  worship 122 

Calm  at  sea,  figure  to  illustrate  the  need  of  divine  aid  ...  .  29 

Cecil's  Remains,  quotation  from,  on  family  worship 121 


236  INDEX. 

Church  oF England,  Liturgy  praised  by  Dissenters 109 

its  testimony  to  the  need  of  the  Spirit's 

assistance 33 

Church,  or  place  set  ai)art  for  public  worship,  observations  on  110 

Cobbet  on  Prayer,  quoted 180,  181 

Confession  of  sin,  observations  on,  (see  Forms  of  Prayer)     59 

original  corruption 60 

actual   transgression 61 

aggravation  of  sins 62 

example  of 79 

Conformity  to  the  world  to  be  avoided 162 

Conversation  among  Christians,  obsei-vations  on 134 

Denial  of  prayer,  reasons  for 87 

Devotional  feelings  merely,  may  be  without  real  devotion  156 

Directions  to  assist  in  attaining  the  Spirit  of  prayer 159 

Distractions  in  prayer,  observations  on 149 

their  nature 150 

great  evil  in  them 151 

hints  to  avoid  them 153 

lessons  inculcated  through  them .  . .   155 
Duty  of  prayer,  proved  by  its  being  natural  and  reasonable     13 

it  is  an  act  of  homage  due  to  God 14 

the  command  and  tlireatenings  of  God,     14,     15 

God's  relation  to  us  shows  it  a  duty 14 

the  practice  of  holy  persons 15 

indispensable  for  the  obtaining  of  grace. . .     ib. 

Ejaculatory  prayer,  described 137 

examples  of  persons  using  it 138 

examples  of  prayer 231 

Enlargement  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  or  a  spirit  of  prayer 

for 142 

divine  power  necessary  to  accomplish  it  143 
the  promises  relative  to  it  call  for  prayer  ib 
directions   and   prophecies    for  that  pur- 

pose, 144,  145 

the  many  examples 145 

a  blessing  has  ever  attended  it  ........ .  146 

it  gives  God  all  the  glory 147,  148 

united  prayers  specially  efficacious 148 

forms  of  prayer  for 225,  226,  227 

Evening  prayer,  observations  on 89 

forms  of  private 202,  204 

family 214,  216 

Sunday 218 

Examples  of  Prayer,  our  Lord's 15,     97,     120 

Exhortation  to  constant  nrayer 183 


INDEX.  237 

Exhortation  to  those  who  have  neglected  prayer 183 

are  ashamed  of  it 184 

have  become  remiss 185 

are    endeavoring  to   pray   con- 
stantly   186 

Eye  of  God,  to  be  remembered  as  seeing  our  hearts  in  prayer  52 

Faitli,  in  the  being  and  goodness  j^f  God  necessary 13 

Family  worship,  observations  oi^l 117 

obligation  to  family  worship 118 

contrast  between  a  family  neglecting  and 

attending  to  it 122 

objections  to  it  answered 123 

forms  of  family  prayer  recommended. ...  ib. 
examples  of,  it  should  be  considered  as  a 

privilege 125 

Family  worship,  a  due  performance  of  it 126 

the  duty  of  those  who  join 131 

address  to  those  who  neglect  and  who  at- 
tend to  it 132 

Fasting,  a  help  to  prayer 88 

Forms  of  prayer,  observations  on 55,  107,  193 

examples  of 193 

Freedom,  and  boldness  of  access  desirable 176 

Frequency  of  private  prayer,  remarks  on 89 

and  perseverance  necessary  in  prayer 179 

Gifl  and  grace  of  prayer  distinguished 35 

Gift  of  prayer  attainable  (see  Holy  Ghost) 128 

prayer  for 193 

Godwin's  observations  on  the  denial  of  prayer 87 

Grace  before  and  after  meals 135 

Gray,  his  queries  to  detect  the  want  of  spirit  of  prayer 160 

Groanings  of  the  Spirit,  meaning  explained 37 

Growth  of  a  devout  spirit 139 

Habit  of  prayer,  chapter  on 136 

examples  of 138 

seasons  for  its  exercise 140 

how  to  obtain  it 141 

Hale,  a  remark  of  his 162 

Hall,  Bishop,  quoted 133 

Hamilton's  Life  of  Eonnel,  quoted 176 

Hammond  Dr.  his  remarks  on  psalmody 127 

Hindrances  to  prayer,  rules  respecting 160 

Holy  Ghost  promised  to  the  church 31 

assists  us  in  prayer 32 

a  common  blessing  to  all  Christians ib. 

his  work  explained  ....          33 


238  INDEX. 

Holy  Ghost,  directions  to  look  for  liis  assistance 158 

Home,  Bishop,  quoted 173 

Howe,  extract  from  his  Treatise  on  Family  Worship 125 

Humility,  and  self-abasement,  needful  to  right  prayer 180 

Hymns  on  prayer 190 

Ifj-noranee,  our  natural,  on  the  subject  of  prayer 30 

Lifinnities  as  to  prayer  (se^>^tractions) 30,  31 

Intercession  of  the  Holy  Spwit  explained i 35 

Jesus  Christ,  our  High  Priest  and  Redeemer  33 

liis  situation  as  Interceder 40 

the  nature  of  his  intercession 41 

to  be  considered  before,  at,  and  after  pray- 
er      44,  45 

for  others,  directions  for 70 

Invocation,  example  of 79 

Ivy,  prayer  illustrated  by 19 

Kneeling  in  public  worship,  note  on 107 

Latimer's  prayers,  and  their  answers 85 

Liturgy,  advantages  of 107 

Lord's  Prayer,  brief  observations  on 81 

Luther's  private  devotion,  account  of 97 

Lord's  Supper,  prayers  before  and  after 206,  208 

Means,  due  use  of,  to  be  attended  to 86 

Majesty  of  God,  to  be  considered  before  prayer 52 

Meditation  needful  before  Prayer 172 

Milton,  passage  from  his  Paradise  Lost ^  123 

Moon,  simile  illustrating  prayer  in  aiBiction 188 

More,  Mrs.  H.  her  writings  quoted 11,     53,  160 

Morning  prayer,  observations  on 90 

forms  of  private 195,  197 

family 209,  212 

Sunday 218 

Mystical  devotion,  to  be  guarded  against 157 

Name  of  Christ,  only  to  be  trusted  in 169 

Nature  of  prayer 9 

Negro,  anecdote  of 150 

Noon,  prayer  at,  observations  on 91 

forms  of  prayer  at 199,  200 

Objections  to  prayer  in  general  answered 22 

to  public  worship  answered 103 

to  family  worship  answered 123 

Obligation  to  family  worship 118 

Ogden,  quotation  from 93 

Owen,  his  grace  and  duty  of  spiritual-mindedness  recom- 
mended   154 

quoted 46 


ixDEX.  239 

Parts  of  prayer,  section  on 57 

confession 59,  79 

petition 63,  7J 

intercession 70 

thanksgiving- , 74,  7J 

Perverseness  in  the  affections,  as  to  prayer 31 

Petition,  directions  for 63 

Places,  set  apart  for  public  worship,  remarks  on 1 IQ 

Pleadino-,  duty  of 6:) 

example  of. 7;) 

Prayers  not  to  be  used  in  a  languacre  not  understood 158 

for  the  dead,  contrary  to  Scripture 74 

Private  prayer,  observations  on 46 

as  distinguished  from  other  kindsof  worsliip  47 

its  reward 93 

forms  of 193 

Privilege  of  prayer  stated 15 

Public  worship,  its  duty  and  advantages 98 

how  duly  performed 105 

a  due  approach  to  it 110 

a  due  behavior  in  it 113 

a  due  return  from  it 116 

Relative  duties,  to  be  mentioned  in  prayer 67 

Reward  of  private  prayer , 93 

Romaine's  practice  of  intercession 72 

Rules  relating  to  hindrances  to  prayer — 160 

renounce  all  known  sin ib. 

be  not  conformed  to  the  world 162 

resist  the  temptations  of  Satan 163 

beware  of  a  self-righteous  spirit 164 

guard  against  improper  motives 165 

take  heed  of  spiritual  pride 166 

neglect  not  the  holy  Scriptures ib. 

Rules  to  assist  in  attaining  the  spirit  of  devotion — 168 

look  for  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit ib. 

trust  only  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ 163 

be  watchful 171 

meditate  before  you  pray 172 

ask  in  faith 173 

be  simple,  reverent,  and  grave 175 

aim  to  enjoy  a  holy  freedom 176 

be  sincere  and  fervent 177 

be  frequent  and  persevering 179 

be  humble  and  self-abased 180 

Rules,  from  an  old  writer,  before,  in,  and  after  prayer  ....  182 

Sabbath,  the  duty  of  observing 101 


240  INDEX. 

Satan,  his  temptations,  to  be  resisted 163 

Scriptures,  not  to  be  neglected 166 

Sell-dedication,  example  of 79 

Self-righteousness,  danger  from,  to  be  guarded  against  117,  164 
SJieppard's  Thoughts  on  Private  Devotion,  quoted. . .     2.5,     73 

Simeon,  quotation  from 90 

Simplicity  in  prayer  to  be  attended  to 175 

Sin,  to  be  renounced 160 

Social  prayer,  the  duty  of 133 

of  those  vsrho  join 135,  136 

Spiritual  blessings  to  be  importunately  asked  for. . . .     55,     66 

pride  to  be  watched  against 166 

Steele  on  Distractions  recommended 149 

Subjects  to  be  mentioned  in  prayer 53 

Sun,  simile  of  stars  obscured  by,  illustrating  distractions. .   149 

Sunday  school,  form  of  prayer  tor 221 

Taylor,  Bishop,  quotations  from 83,  161,  183 

Temporal  blessings,  to  be  asked  for  with  submission     54,     67 

answers  to  prayer  for 85 

Thanksgiving,  directions  for 74 

neglected  or  coldly  practised 77 

example  of,  (see  forms  of  prayer) 79 

Trail,  quoted 170,  174 

Trusting  in  our  prayers,  the  danger  of. 27 

in  the  name  of  Christ  only,  the  duty  of. 169 

Vincent  on  Distractions,  quoted 166,  174 

Walker's  fifty-two  Sermons  on  the  Catechism,  quoted 175 

Watchfulness  in  prayer,  the  duty  of 171 

Watts,  Dr.  quoted 11,  135,  174 

Wilkins,  Bishop,  quoted 16,    56,    57,  181 


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OLD    HUMPHREY'S  ADDRESSES.     Byth6 

author  of  "  Old  Humphrey's  Observations."     2d  edition,  18mo. 

*'  It  consists  of  a  number  of  short  papers  on  a  great  variety  of  subjects, 
written  in  a  devotional  spirit,  and  with  great  shrewdness,  good  sense,  and 
quiet  humour.  It  is,  therefore,  a  very  pleasant  book." — Biblical  Repertory 
and  Princeton  Review. 

"  They  have  a  style  decidedly  their  own,  quaint,  pithy,  pointed,  sententi 
ous,  lively  and  popular;  but  their  chief  excellence  is  the  constant  and  su» 
eessful  effort  of  the  author  to  draw  a  moral  from  every  thing  he  meets  "  — 
New-York  Observer. 

"We  recently  noticed  Old  Humphrey's  Observations  as  a  very  entertaining 
Tolume,  and  the  Addresses  exhibit  the  same  point,  innocent  humour,  and  sound 
instruction.  We  can  give  our  readers  no  general  idea  of  the  contents  when 
there  is  so  much  variety,  but  advise  them  to  buy  and  read." — Presbyterian. 

COMFORT  IN  AFFLICTION:  ASeriesofMe- 
.  dilations.     By  the  Rev.  James  Buchanan,  one  of  the  Ministers 

of  the  High  Church,  Edinburgh.     From  the  9th  Edinburgh 

edition.     1  vol.  18mo. 

"  The  blessed  results  of  affliction  are  treated  with  peculiar  force  of  argu- 
ment, and  felicity  of  expression — strong  in  scriptural  statements  of  divins 
truth,  and  rich  in  scriptural  sources  of  divine  consolation — in  a  most  valuabl* 
work,  entitled  '  Comfort  in  Affliction,*  by  the  Rev.  James  Buchanan, — which 
I  would  affectionately  recommend  to  every  Christian  mourner  who  desires  to 
drink  freely  of  the  refreshing  streams  which  the  Fountain  of  all  Comfort — the 
Word  of  God,  supplies  ;  for  it  is  from  this  sacred  source  the  pious  and  talent- 
ed author  of  this  excellent  work  derives  *  Comfort  in  Affliction,'  which  his 
pages  so  eloquently  and  attractively  set  forth." — Rev.  Hugh  White  of  Dublin. 

LIVE  NA/HILE  YOU  LIVE.  By  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Griffith,  A.M.,  Minister  of  Ram's  Episcopal  Chapel,  Homer- 
ton.     18mo. 

"  We  never  heard  hefore  of  the  author  of  this  little  book,  but  we  expect  t« 
hear  of  him  again,  as  we  cannot  believe  that  such  a  pen  as  he  holds  will  bt 
toflered  to  remain  unemployed.  The  work  is  divided  into  five  chapters — 
*Life  a  Pilgrimage,'  'Life  a  Race,'  *  Life  a  Conflict,'  *  Life  a  Blessing,'  'Lifs 
a  seed  time  for  Eternity.'  Not  only  is  the  general  conception  of  the  work 
exceedingly  happy,  being  somewhat  of  that  pithy  and  striking  character  for 
which  Jay's  writings  are  so  remarkable,  but  the  whole  train  of  thought  is  in 
beautiful  harmony  with  the  plan  ;  the  style  is  highly  polished,  the  spirit  deep- 
ly evangelical,  and  the  tendency  quickening,  elevating,  comforting.  It  may 
very  profitably  occupy  an  hour  or  two  of  any  person's  leisure,  who  reads  for 
the  gratification  of  a  refined  taste,  for  the  cultivation  of  a  religious  sensibility, 
4r  for  improvement  in  the  Christian  life." — Albany  Daily  Advertiser, 


THE    HISTORY     OF     MICHAEL     KEMP, 

THE  HAPPY  FARMER'S  LAD.  A  Tale  of  Rustic  Life, 
illustrative  of  the  Spiritual  Blessings  and  Temporal  Advantagee- 
of  Early  Piety.  By  Anne  WoodroofFe.  2d  edition.  18mo. 
"  A  capital  story  is  here  told  ;  a  tale  of  rustic  life,  illustrating-  the  profit  of 
godliness  for  this  life  and  that  to  come.  We  have  been  reading  it  with  deep 
interest,  and  commend  it  cordially." — New-York  Observer. 

"  Thoroughly  and  intently  have  we  read  this  book,  '  because,'  as  Talbot 
said  of  Bosweil's  Life  of  Johnson,  '  we  couldn't  help  it.'  We  were  struck 
with  the  ingenuous  disposition  and  firm  principles  of  Michael,  and  we  wished 
to  see  how  they  would  bear  him  through  trying  scenes.  In  other  words,  our 
feelings  became  so  intently  but  agreeably  absorbed,  that  we  not  only  traced 
Michael  through  a  book  of  250  pages,  but  if  there  had  been  one  or  two  more 
Tolumes  we  fear  that  we  would  have  perused  them.  So  much  for  the  inter* 
est  which  the  story  excites ;  the  other  merits  of  the  book  are  not  inferior."— 
Baptist  Advocate. 

THE  CROOK  IN  THE  LOT;  or  a  Display  of  the 
Sovereignty  and  Wisdom  of  God  in  the  Afflictions  of  Men, 
and  the  Christian's  deportment  under  them.  By  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Boston.     18mo. 

*'  Boston  is  well  known  as  one  of  the  strongest  Calviiiistic  writers,  and  tha 
Tolume  before  us  bears  the  marks  of  his  vigorous  mind,  and  the  fruits  of  his 
deep  and  evangelical  piety.  It  is  accompanied  by  a  warm  recommendatioo 
from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander,  Princeton." — New-York  Observer. 

A  TRIBUTE  OF  PARENTAL  AFFECTION 

to  the  Memory  of  my  beloved  and  only  Daughter,  Hannah 
Jerram,  with  a  short  account  of  the  last  illness  and  death  of  her 
elder  Brother,  Charles  Stranger  Jerratm.  By  the  Rev.  Chzxlem 
Jerram,  A.M.,  Vicar  of  Chatham,  Surrey.  From  the  5th  Lon. 
don  edition.     18mo. 

*'  This  book  is  a  dehneation  of  the  effects  of  early  and  eminent  piety,  drawn 
by  a  parent's  hand,  with  all  the  tenderness  of  yearning  solicitude.  This  cir- 
cumstance commends  it  at  once  to  our  sympathies,  and  is  also,  to  some  extent, 
»  guaranty  of  real  value." — Christian  Watchman. 

"  We  regard  this  little  book  with  much  favour.  The  dying  scene  is  moit 
feelingly  portrayed,  and  the  reader,  if  his  better  sensibilities  be  not  blunted, 
will  be  constrained  to  weep  with  those  that  weep." — Presbyterian. 

D  E  C  A  P  O  L I S  ;  or,  the  Individual  Obligations  of  Christians 
to  Save  Souls  from  Death.  By  David  Everard  Ford.  From 
the  6th  London  edition. 

"  This  book  is  an  exhortation  to  Christians,  and  Christian  ministers,  to  ex- 
ercise greater  faitlifulness  in  saving  souls  from  eternal  death.  We  have  read 
it  with  much  pleasure,  and  we  hope  with  some  profit.  It  is  adapted  to  the 
•ge  in  which  we  live — an  age  in  which,  with  the  bustle,  excitement,  and 
worldliness  surrounding  us,  the  Christian  needs  something  to  direct  his  atten- 
tion to  those  subjects  which  will  add  to  the  lustre  of  his  crown  of  rejoicing  ia 
tile  kingdom  of  glory.  And  what  is  there  so  well  calculated  to  do  this  as  a 
consciousness  that  we  are  co-operating  with  the  Sariour  of  sinners  in  redeem- 
ing a  world  lying  in  wickedness  1  The  book  is  most  beautifully  got  up  ;  and 
we  could  wish  that  it  might  be  read  and  pondered  by  every  one  who  indulges 
»  hope  that  he  is  a  Christian."— iVrw-Yori  EvangeluU 


TR  U  E  HAPPINESS;  or,  the  Excellence  and  Power 
of  Farly  Religion.  By  J.  G.  Pike,  author  of  "  Persuasives  to 
Early  Piety,"  &c.  &c.     18mo.     2d  edition. 

*' We  shall  sufficiently  describe  the  character  of  this  book  by  representing 
it  as  a  collection  of  brief  memoirs  of  eminently  pious  persons,  which  illustrate 
the  power  of  religion  in  imparting  true  happiness.  We  can  recommend  it  to 
©nr  young  readers,  who  will  find  it  adapted  to  engage  their  attention  and 
•mend  their  hearts." — Presbyterian. 

CHARLIE  SEYMOUR;  or  the  Good  Aunt  and  the 
Bad  Aunt.  By  Miss  Catherine  Sinclair,  author  of  "  Modem 
Accomplishments,"  &c.     18mo.     3d  edition. 

"A  charming  book  for  youth,  in  which  some  interesting  lessons  are  taught, 
and  so  tauglit  that  they  will  be  read  with  delight,  and  remembered  after  they 
are  read." — New-York  Observer. 

**  This  is  an  interesting  little  volume,  designed  for  the  religious  instruction 
•f  children.  In  style  it  is  aniinsteJ,  yet  sinii)le,  and  well  adapted  to  their 
powers  of  understanding  ;  in  sentiment  it  is  pure  and  elevated  ;  the  incidents 
interwoven  m  Charlie's  early  history  are  such  as  cannot  fail  to  attract  and  se- 
cure attention,  and,  at  the  same  time,  inculcate  a  most  important  lesson.  The 
choice  he  was  called  to  make  between  a  good  and  bad  guardian,  is  the  very 
act  which  all  repeat  in  some  form  in  their  preferences  of  wisdom  or  foUy,  God 
or  the  world,  every  day  of  their  hves." — Christian  Observer. 

HOR>E    SOLITARl/e;     or   Essays  upon   some   Re- 
markable  Names  and  Titles  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
occurring  in  the  Old  and   New  Testament.      By  Aonbrose 
^    Serle,  Esq.     1  vol.  8vo.,  muslin. 

**  A  volume  of  710  pages,  -eplete  with  doctrinal  instruction  and  pious  exhor- 
tation. The  whole  constitutes  a  rich  mine  of  spiritual  lore,  which  is  the  bet- 
ter adapted  to  usefulness  by  being  accompanied  with  pious  reflections  and 
well-timed  remarks.  The  author  evidently  enjoyed  coini  lunion  with  the  Fa- 
ther and  tlie  Son,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  while  he  maintained  their  attribuies  with 
the  strongest  arguments  drawn  from  their  own  revelutum. 

"We  cordially  recommend  the  work  to  pastors  and  theological  students,  to 
many  of  whom  the  well-deserved  celebrity  wh-ch  it  has  for  so  many  years  en- 
joyed, has  already  made  it  favourably  known." — Baptist  Advocate. 

PoUok's  Tales  of  the  Covenanters. 

I.-_THE  PERSECUTED    FAMILY.   1  v.  18mo. 

"A  tale  of  mournful  and  powerful  intercut."— New-York  Observer. 
*'  A  very  intesting  narrative  of  the  suftenngs  ef  the  Covenanters  in  the  reig:B 
of  Charles  II."— Congregational  Ohserver. 

II.— HELEN    OF  THE  GLEN.     1  vol.  18mo. 

'•We  need  only  say  that  this  little  volume  contains  a  narrative  of  thrilling 
lilerest,  in  a  style  worthy  of  the  distinguished  author  of  the  '  Course  of  l\me.''*' 
-^Congregational  Observer. 

"  The  p<jetic  imagination  of  the  author  shines  beautifully  throughout  thit 
affecting  tale." — Boston  Recorder. 

in.— R A LPH  GEMMEL;  or,  the  Happy  Reconcilia- 
^  tion.     ISmo. 

^  "  A  tale  of  the  Covenanters,  and  by  the  admired  and  gifted  Pollok,  will  have 
attractions  for  the  religious  reader  ;  and  in  truth  it  possesses  great  interest  M 
illustrative  of  the  scenes  which  can  never  be  regarded  with  indifference  by 
the  descendants  of  the  Church  of  Scotland." 


THE  GLORIOUS  MYSTERY  OF  THE 
PERSON  OF  CHRIST,  GOD  AND  MAN.  To  which  are 
subjoined,  Meditations  and  Discourses  on  the  Glory  of  Christ. 
By  John  Owen,  D.D.  8vo.,  muslin. 
THE  GRACE  AND  DUTY  OF  BEING 
SPIRITUALLY  MINDED,  Declared  and  Practically  Im. 
proved.     By  John  Owen,  D.D.     12mo. 

♦'  The  name  of  Dr.  Owen  is  peculiarly  welcome  at  all  times,  and  especially 
on  such  a  theme.  We  need  do  nothinar  more  than  call  the  attention  to  the 
title  page.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  writings  of  this  venerable  Fa- 
ther, know  that  this  is  araong^  the  richest  of  his  works." — N,  Y.  Evangelist. 

MESSIAH  THE  PRINCE;  or  the  Mediatorial 
Dominion  of  Jesus  Christ.  By  the  Rev.  William  Sjonington. 
D.D.,  Glasgow.     12mo. 

**  The  characteristics  of  this  work  are  clearness  of  statement,  methodical 
diatinctness  of  arrangement,  solidity  of  arg-ument  without  show,  and  a  re- 
markable tact  in  appropriate  scriptural  quotation  and  reference." — Chrittian 
Instructor. 

THE  ATONEMENT  AND  INTERCESSION  OF 
JESUS  CHRIST.  By  Rev.  Wilhara  Symington,  D.D. 
2d  edition.     12mo. 

A   TREATISE    ON   THE   OFFICES  OF  CHRIST. 

By  Rev.  George  Stevenson.     12mo. 
THE    INQUIRER    DIRECTED    to   an  Experimental   and 

Practical  View  of  the  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.      By  Rev. 

Octavius  Winslow.     1  vol.  12mo. 

**  This  is  a  delightful  book  ; — modest  and  unpretending,  but  embued  -with 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel.  The  author  commences,  as  he  should  do,  with  a  con. 
elusive  scriptural  proof  of  the  divinity  and  personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He 
then  passes  on  to  'an  experimental  and  practical  view'  of  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  as  a  quickener.  This  subject  he  presents  in  two  divisions  ;  first,  the 
state  of  the  heart,  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  evidences  of  his  opera- 
tions, before  and  in  the  act  of  regeneration  ;  and  second,  the  same  class  ol 
topics,  in  their  application  to  the  soul  after  conversion.  The  next  chapter  is 
on  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit ;  the  believer  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
remaining  subjects  are  : — The  Sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  showing  the  neces- 
•ity  and  nature  of  true  holiness, — the  sealing  of  the  Spirit, — the  Spirit  the 
author  of  prayer, — and  the  Spirit  a  comforter, — the  broken  heart  bound  up. 
The  address  is  affectionate  and  winning,  yet  closely  practical.  It  strongly  re- 
minds one  of  the  manner  of  Flavel  and  Doddridge,  and  others  of  the  o'ldea 
time.  The  discriminations  of  character  are  close  and  happy :  and  the  whole 
book  evinces  a  deep  knowledge  of  the  heart,  and  a  familiar,  practical,  and 
dirinely  illumined  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures." — Biblical  Repertory  ^ 
Princeton  Review. 

CALVIN    ON   SECRET   PROVIDENCE.     Translated  by 

Rev.  James  Lillie.     18mo. 

*•  To  most  of  our  readers  it  will  be  a  novelty  to  hear  John  Calvin  defending 
hit  tystem  against  the  objections  of  cavillers.  This  system  was  attacked  a 
hia  own  day,  and  charged  with  many  of  the  absurdities  ani  false  consequen- 
ces which  are  still  attributed  to  it.  Calvin  replies  to  these  calumnies  in  theii 
order;  and  while  he  refutes  them,  affords  new  illustrations  of  his  views."— 
Fresbyteritn. 


8 

MEMOIR  OF  THE  REV.  CHARLES  NISBET,  D.D. 

late  President  of  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle.  _  By  Samuel 
Miller,  D.D.,  Professor  in  the  Thcolocrical  Seminary,  Prince- 
ton, New-Jersey.     1  vol.  12jno.,  with  Portrait. 

"  We  have  been  iinicVi  gratifieil  at  the  appearance  of  this  work.  It  forms  a 
most  valuable  addition  to  the  Presbyterian  Biography  of  our  country.  Dr. 
Nisbet  distinguished  alike  by  his  own  personal  acquirements  in  literature, 
and  his  devoticjn  to  the  cause  i>(  sound  learning,  was  deserving  of  a  lasting  re- 
membrance ;  and  yet  few  had  the  ojiportunity  of  knowing  much  of  his  true 
character  and  services,  until  the  appearance  of  this  interesting  memoir.  The 
fidelity  and  excellence  with  which  the  work  is  executed,  may  be  concluded 
from  the  name  of  the  biographer." — Presbyterian. 

LIFE  AND  DEATH  OF  REV-  JOSEPH  ALLEINE, 
A.B.,  author  of  an  "  Alarm  to  the  Unconverted,"  &c.  Writ- 
ten by  Rev.  Richard  Baxter,  his  widow,  Mrs.  Theodosia  Al 
leine,  and  other  persons.  To  which  are  added  his  Christian 
Lectures,  full  of  Sjiirittial  Instruction,  tending  to  the  promoting 
of  the  Power  of  Godliness  both  in  Persons  and  Families. 
With  a  recommendatory  Preface  by  Alexander  DufF,  D.D., 
one  of  the  Chmxh  of  Scotland's  Missioneuies  to  India.  1  vol. 
12mo. 

MEMOIR    OF     MRS.    MARY    LUNDIE    DUNCAN; 

being  Recollections  of  a  Daughter,  by  her  Mother.  From 
the  2d  Edinburgh  edition.     12mo. 

"  Deeply  interested  have  we  been  in  this  memoir  of  one  of  the  most  lovely 
of  her  sex — a  woman  whom  God  had  adorned  with  all  that  comeliness  of  per- 
son, richness  of  intellect,  sweetness  of  disposition,  and  above  all,  with  thoso 
('hnsiian  graces,  which,  when  blended  in  harmonious  proportions,  form  the 
most  lovely  object  of  c()ntem])lation  out  of  heaven.  Something  must  be  allow- 
ed for  the  partiality  of  a  mother's  love  and  a  husband's  devotion,  but  beyond 
the  testimony  of  these  interested  witnesses,  we  have  here  the  evidence  in  her 
own  walk  and  conversation,  m  her  life  and  writings,  and  in  the  letters  of 
others  whose  hajjpiness  it  was  to  know  her  ere  she  left  this  for  a  more  conge- 
nial world,  that  Mary  J^undie  Duncan  was  all  that  parental,  filial  or  conjugal 
affection  could  desire  in  a  daughter,  mother  or  wife." — New- York  Observer. 

THE   JUBILEE    MEMORIAL,    being  the  Sermons,  Meet- 
ings, Presentations,  and  full  account  of  the  Jubilee  commemo- 
rating  the  Rev.  Wm.  Jay's  Fifty  Years'  Ministry  at  Argyle 
>  Chapel,  Bath. 

"  The  name  of  Rev.  Wm.  Jay  is  very  precious  to  thousands  in  this  country 
M  well  as  in  England.  Some  of  his  children  and  grand-children  are  here. 
And  he  has,  doubtless,  not  a  few  spiritual  children  among  us.  It  is  well, 
tlierefore,  to  republish,  for  their  gratification,  a  '  memorial'  that  has  excited  a 
de«p  sensation  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic, — it  is  too  full  of  instruction 
to  be  lost,  on  any  one  who  shall  even  glance  at  its  pages.  It  would  give  ua 
pleasure  to  indicate  some  of  these  instructions,  and  dwell  on  the  joyous  spec- 
tacle of  a  pastor  reposing  sweetly  on  the  affections  of  his  flock,  after  having 
led  them  for  fifty  years  in  green  pastures  and  beside  still  waters — but  it  is  un- 
necessary. We  trust  that  many  will  read  and  understand,  and  derive  abun- 
dant profit  from  the  example  thus  furnished,  of  ministerial  fidelitj  and  ita 
earthly  reward*." — Boston  Recorder. 


9 

TtroRss 

BY  REV.  J.  A.  CLARK,  D.  D. 

RECTOR  OF  ST.  ANDREW'S  CHURCH, 

PHILADELPHIA. 


I. 

A  WALK  ABOUT  ZION.    Revised  and  Enlarged.     Fifth  edi- 
tion ;  l2mo.  2  steel  engravings. 

"  The  spirit  of  the  book  is  above  all  price.  It  is  that  charity  which  en- 
vieth  not,  vaunteth  not  itself,  is  not  puffed  up.  No  intelligent  man  will  be 
disposed  to  deny  that  the  arrogant  principle  of  Puseyism  has  extensively 
infected  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Great  Britain  and  this  country.  Wheiij 
therefore,  we  find  a  writer  of  that  communion  who  is  not  in  the  least  af- 
fected by  it,  but  who  utters  in  Christian  meekness  and  simplicity,  senti- 
ments becoming  the  liberal  philosopher  and  the  humble  minded  believer  in 
Jesus,  our  heart  yearns  the  more  towards  him  on  account  of  the  strong  ad- 
verse influence,  which,  we  know,  he  is  obliged  constantly  to  resist." — Bap- 
list  Advocate. 

II. 

THE  PASTOR'S  TESTIMONY.   Fifth  edition ;  l2mo.    Revised 

and  corrected  ;  2  steel  engravings. 

"We  admire  the  spirit  and  sentiments  of  the  author  on  all  practical 
points  of  religion  " — Presbyterian. 

"  Mr.  Clarke  is  an  eminently  evangelical  writer  of  the  Protestant  Episco 
pal  Church,  and  his  productions  have  been  extensively  read  by  other  d*^ 
nominations."— Acw  York  Observer. 

m. 

THE  YOUNG  DISCIPLE;  or  a  MemoirofAnggonettaR.  Peters. 

Fourth  edition ;  l2mo, 

•'  Dr.  Clarke  has  for  some  time  been  known  to  the  religious  public,  as  one 
of  the  most  judicious  and  excellent  writers  of  the  day.  His  works  are  all 
characterized  by  good  thoughts  expressed  in  a  graceful  and  appropriate 
manner,  by  great  seriousness  and  unction,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  promote 
the  spiritual  interests  of  his  feUow  men."— Albany  Daily  Advertiser. 

IV. 

GATHERED  FRAGMENTS.    Fourth  eaition;    l2ino.     2  steel 

engravings. 
Containing— T\iG  M'Ellen  Family.— The  Paralytic— The  Withered  Branch 

Revived— The  Baptism.— Little  Ann.— The  Meeting  of  the  Travellers.— 

Mary  Maywood.— A  Family  in  Eternity.— One  whose  Record  is  on  Highf 

&c.  &c. 

V. 

GLEANINGS    BY   THE   WAY;   or  Travels  in  the  Country. 
1  vol. :  l2mo. 


10 

ANECDOTES   ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THE  SHORTER  CATE- 
CHISM.    By  John  Whitecross,  Edinburgh.     New  edition; 

iBnio. 

'■  We  admire  the  plan  of  this  work,  which  is  by  striking  anecdotes,  to  il- 
lustrate and  enforce  the  answers  to  tlie  questions  of  that  invaluable  com- 
pend.  tlie  Shorter  Catechism."— Uos/on  Recorder. 

''  The  author  of  tliis  work  lias  been  alike  original  in  its  conception  and 
successful  in  its  execution.  The  anecdotes  are  generally  selected  with 
great  good  taste  and  good  judgment,  and  are  admirably  fitted  to  impress 
the  truths  which  they  are  designed  to  illustrate.  This  will  relieve  the  cate- 
chism of  a  difficulty  which  many  have  felt  in  respect  to  it — that  it  is  too 
abstract  to  be  comprehended  by  the  mind  of  a  child:  here  every  truth  is 
seen  in  its  practical  relations,  and  becomes  associated  in  the  mind  with 
some  interesting  fact  which  is  fitted  at  once  to  make  it  plain  to  the  under- 
standing, to  lodge  it  in  the  memory,  and  to  impress  it  upon  the  heart." — 
Albany  Daily  Advertiser. 

THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND.    From  the  87th  London  edition,  com- 
pleting upwards  of  half  a  million. 

'•This  little  volume  contains  a  series  of  short,  earnest,  and  impressive 
appeals,  addressed  to  the  conscience  of  the  sinner,  to  persuade  him  to  be 
reconciled  to  God.  It  appears  to  us  well  adapted  for  general  circulation, 
especially  in  seasons  of  inquiry.  There  is  perhaps  no  work  of  the  kind 
more  popular,  or  more  extensively  read.  It  is  stated  that  the  work  has 
been  published  in  sixteen  different  languages,  and  that  more  than  five  hun- 
dred thousand  copies  have  been  circulated,  mostly  in  the  difierent  countries 
of  Europe." — Christian  Observer. 

'•  It  is  designed  by  its  direct  appeals  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  most 
careless  reader,  and  to  pour  into  his  ear  some  word  of  truth  before  he  can 
become  fatigued  with  reading." — Presbyterian. 

"  It  is  fitted  to  be  an  admirable  auxiliary  to  ministers  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duty."— Albany  Daily  Advertiser. 

NEW  WORK  BY  OLD   HUMPHREY.    THOUGHTS  FOR  THE 

THOUGHTFUL.      By  the  author  of   "Old  Humphrey's 

Observations,"   and    "Old   Humphrey's  Addresses,"     1  voL 

18mo.     Uniform  with  the  former  works. 

"  Old  Humphrey '  is  known  as  the  personification  of  an  old  man,  who 
has  not  only  had  his  eyes  open  in  his  journpy  through  life,  but  has  act- 
ually seen  many  things  that  escape  the  observation  of  others,  from  which 
he  has  gathered  lessons  of  wisdom  for  the  instruction  of  those  who  follow 
them.  His  style  and  manner  are  well  adapted  to  interest  the  reader.  He 
never  speaks  without  thinking,  and  havi;.g  something  to  say." — Christian 
Observer. 

"We  most  cordially  reccommend  Old  Humphrey  as  a  charming  domes- 
tic companion  ;  assuring  our  friends  that  there  is  not  a  family  in  the  Re- 
public but  may  save  in  one  day,  by  following  his  advice,  more  than  the  cost 
of  his  volumes." — Nalionai  Intelligencer. 

LUCILLA;  or  the  Reading  of  the  Bible.     By  Adolphe  Monod 

1  vol.  l8mo. 

"This  is  the  production  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  living 
Protestant  ministers  of  France.     The  style  has  all  the  sprightliness  ana  ^ 
vivacity  of  the  French  ;  and  we  doubt  not  that  the  work  will  have  an  exten- 
sive circulation  in  this  countr>." — N.  E.  Puritan. 

"  Its  design  is  to  prove  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  inspired  of  God,  and 
that  it  is  the  privilege  and  duty  of  aU  people  to  read  them  with  a  reference 


11 

to  their  personal  salvation.  The  work  is  ably  written,  and  iinprrsscd 
throughout  with  the  kind,  earnest,  and  benevolent  spirit  of  the  author." — 
Christian  Observer. 

"  We  venture  to  say  that  it  contains  one  of  the  most  acute,  philosophical, 
and  conclusive  arguments  in  favor  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
of  the  importance  of  their  universal  circulation,  to  be  found  in  any  lan- 
guage. Part  of  the  book  is  in  the  form  of  dialogue,  and  part  of  ii  in  the 
form  of  epistolary  correspondence ;  and  while  the  argument  is  conducted 
on  both  sides  with  great  ability,  the  skeptic  is  finally  confounded,  not  be- 
cause he  appears  as  the  weaker  man,  but  because  he  has  the  weaker  cause. 
We  would  say  to  any  who  have  doubts  in  respect  to  the  truth  of  Christian- 
ity, that  they  will  do  themselves  great  injustice,  if  they  cherish  those  doubts 
or  allow  them  to  settle  into  unbelief,  without  having  given  this  bnok  a 
careful  perusal.  If  we  mistake  not,  they  will  find  that  the  skeptic  has  here 
been  allowed  to  make  the  very  best  of  iiis  case,  while  yet,  after  all,  he  has 
been  compelled  to  abandon  it." — Albany  Daily  Advertiser. 

THE  BRITISH  PULPIT.  Consisting  of  Discourses  by  the  most 
eminent  living  Divines  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland: 
accompanied  with  Pulpit  Sketches.  To  which  are  added, 
Scriptural  Illustrations  ;  and  selections  on  the  Office,  Duties, 
and  Responsibilities  of  the  Christian  Ministry.  By  the  Rev, 
W.  Suddards,  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  Philadelphia.  Fifth 
edition,    2  vols.  8vo,     10  portraits  on  steel, 

BICKERSTETH'S    TREATISE    ON    THE    LORD'S   SUPPER. 

With  an  Introduction,  Notes,  and  an  Essay.     By  G.  T.  Be- 
dell, D.  D.     5th  edition  ;  l8mo. 

MOFFATTS  SOUTHERN  AFRICA.  Missionary  Labours  and 
Scenes  in  Southern  Africa.  By  Robert  Moffat,  twenty-three 
years  an  Agent  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  in  that  con- 
tinent.    1  vol.  l2mo. 

"  We  have  read  the  whole  of  this  large  volume  with  undiminished  inter- 
est, and  have  found  it  replete  with  missionary  information,  given  in  an  un- 
pretending, but  strong  and  clear  style.  The  wretched  state  of  the  heathen 
tribes,  among  whom  the  writer  so  long  laboured  as  a  missionary;  their 
deep  degradation  and  ignorance ;  the  trials  of  faith  and  patience,  of  the 
missionary  brethren ;  and  after  years  of  apparently  useless  labour,  and 
when  the  churches  at  home  seemed  ready  to  abandon  the  whole  field,  the 
displays  of  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  by  his  blessing  upon  the  labours 
of  his  servants,  are  all  recorded  by  an  eye-witness,  who  bore  the  burden  and 
heat  of  the  day,  and  who  lived  to  rejoice  in  seeing  the  triumphs  of  the  Gos- 
pel, among  the  most  ignorant  and  degraded  of  the  human  family.  The  nar- 
rative is  enriched  also  with  descriptions  of  African  scenery;  with  the  em- 
ployment, habits,  and  pursuits  of  the  native  tribes ;  their  dangers  from 
lions  and  other  beasts  of  prey,  and  the  wars  and  massacres  of  the  roving 
bands  of  marauders,  in  their  desolating  excursions  from  place  to  place  " — 
Foreign  Missionary 

INTERESTING  NARRATIVES  from  the  Sacred  Volume.  Illus- 
trated and  improved,  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Belcher. 

Contents. — The  Solemn  Inquiry. — First  Murder. — Deluge. — Servant  Ex- 
pelled.— Affectionate  Father  Sacrificing  his  Son. — Affecting  Funeral. — 
Patriarchal  "Weddmg.— Dutiful  Son.— Affectionate  Brother.— Faithful 
Steward. — Pious    Prisoner. — Righteous    Governor. — Mistaken    Saint. — 


13 

LECTURES  ON  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  By  John 
Dick,  D.  D.  author  of  "  Lectures  on  Theology,"  &c.  one  vol. 
8vo. 

MEMOIR  OF  HENRY  MARTYN.  Fourth  American,  from  the 
Tenth  London  eciition,     iSmo. 

LIFE  OF  MRS.  ISABELLA  GRAHAM,  a  new  edition,  enriched 
by  her  narrative  of  her  husband's  death,  and  other  select  cor- 
respondence.    l2mo. 

BISHOP  BUTLER'S  ANALOGY  OF  RELIGION, 8vo, beautiful 
large  tvpe. 

bishop'  BUTLER'S  SERMONS,  8vo. 

BAXTER'S  SAINTS'  REST,  l3mo,  larjre  type. 

JAY  S  LECTURES-THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTEMPLATED, one 
vol.  18mo,  new  edition, 

A  TREATISE  ON  PRAYER,  By  the  Rev.  Edward  Bickersteth, 
18mo. 

THE  COTTAGE  FIRESIDE,  Ry  the  Rev.  Henry  Duncan,  iRmo. 

THE  BELIEVER,  a  series  of  Discourses,  by  the  Rev.  Hugh 
White,  author  of  "  Mtditaiiojis  on  Prayer."  &c,  l8mo.  gilt 
back. 

PRACTICAL  REFLECTIONS  O?^  THE  SECOND  ADVENT, 
by  the  Rev.  Hugh  Y/hite. 

THE  FAMILY  OF  BETHANY,  by  L.  Bonnet,  with  an  intro- 
ductory Essay  bv  the  Rev.  Ki5c»h  White     -l8mo. 

THE  LIGHTS  AND  SHADOV/S  OF  SCOTTISH  LIFE,  by- 
Prof.  Wilson.  iSrno. 

THE  FARMER'S  DAUGHTER,  by  Mrs.   Cameron.   iSmo.  gilt 

JESSY  ALLENj THE  LAME  G'.RL.  Ey  Grace  Kennedy,  au- 
thor of"  Anna  Ross."  "  Father  Clement,"  &c.     l8mo. 

THE  COMMUNICANT'S  COMPANION,  by  the  Rev.  Matthew- 
Henry,  iSmo. 

THE  CONTEST  AND  THE  ARMOUR,  by  Dr.  Abercrombie. 
32ino,  gilt, 

GIFT  FOR  MOURNERS,  containing  Flavel's  Token  for  Mourn- 
ers, and  Cecil's  Visit  to  the  House  of  Mourning.    32mo,  gilt. 

GEOLOGICAL  COSMOGONY,  or  an  Examination  of  the  Geo- 
logical Theory  of  the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of  the  earth,  by  a 
Layman,  l8mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  THE  REV.  JOHN  NEWTON,  written  by  him- 
self, with  a  continuation  to  his  death,  by  the  Rev,  Richard 
Cecil.     l8mo. 

ELIJAH  THE  TISHBITE,  by  F.  W.  Krummacher.     ISmo. 

PERSUASIVES  TO  EARLY  PIETY,  by  re  Roy.  J.  G,  Pike 
18mo. 


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